Rewrite
by Sehno
Summary: KakaSaku Sakura is careless and is sent to the past right before her teammates' eyes. But it's not that bad when you're only sent a couple years back. The problem is the incident might not have been an accident...
1. Prologue

_A/N: Are time-travel fics overdone? I haven't been able to find many. At least not KakaSaku.  
_

* * *

Rewrite

Prologue

* * *

He found her staring blankly at the wall, completely lost in thought and looking half asleep. Her knees were hugged to her chest and her head leaned on the wall beside the door to his apartment. He had seen her earlier that day at the memorial. The kunoichi had jumped out of nowhere, tugged on his shirt, yelled out his name, and then proceeded to rambling off a story that let Kakashi know she was obviously touched in the head. She had come to an abrupt stop when she noticed the strange look he was giving her. Genma had arrived just then to drag him over to the mission debriefing he was an hour and a half late to. Kakashi put up very little resistance, deciding he had nowhere better to be. Had she been waiting all day after that?

Whatever she wanted, it wasn't that important if she hadn't found him sooner.

Sakura sensed him approaching. Her head slowly turned to regard him with tired eyes. As if suddenly remembering what she was there for, she jumped to her feet, eyes now wide open and alert.

"Kakashi-sensei!"

His head turned vaguely in her direction as he gave her a quiet "Hm?" He brushed past her and stopped at the door. He pulled out his key and gave her a glance, prompting her to continue. But she only stared back at him, lips parted as if about to speak.

The lock on the door gave a click and Kakashi pushed it slightly open. Sakura began talking before he could go in.

"I'm sorry about this morning," she blurted out. "I should've thought about what I said and not been so sudden, and I might have waited until you were done paying respects, but I wasn't thinking and –"

She stopped when she noticed how Kakashi's hand rested on the door, ready to bolt the second Sakura blinked. He thought she was a nut.

"I don't know who else to turn to," she said quietly.

She watched him carefully for any sign of an attempt to make a run for it.

Kakashi sighed. He hadn't had the best of days covering for Ibiki at the Konoha Detention Center. For some reason he couldn't bring himself to enjoy scarring his victims, either physically and mentally.

Ibiki swore there was something wrong with him.

And now all Kakashi wanted was to get some rest. He had better things to do than to deal with girls who claimed to come from the future, so he finished pushing the door open and walked inside. Sakura took a step inside to keep him from closing the door.

"Kakashi-sensei, please!"

He looked irked. "I really don't have time for this."

Sakura saw him looking at her like a lunatic again. She had to convince him fast before he locked himself inside.

"I'll prove I'm telling the truth!" she was desperate. This wasn't a good idea. Even after knowing him for so many years, she still felt she knew next to nothing about Kakashi. It wasn't like he ever told anyone much about himself. But she had no other choice.

"You can ask me something and I'll prove I am who I say." she offered. "Ask anything."

Kakashi was looking at her warily, but he hadn't pushed her out yet. This was a good sign. It meant he was actually considering it! She had been expecting him to slam the door in her face. Kakashi put his hand to his chin and gave a thoughtful hum. Sakura braced herself, already going through everything she knew about him and hoping the little information she had gathered over the years would be enough to help her through this.

Unfortunately for her, it wouldn't.

"Black or white?" he asked.

Sakura's mind drew a blank.

"What?"

"Just answer my question. Black.... or white?" he repeated slowly.

Was this a trick question?

"Black?" she guessed.

"Okay." he said. Sakura's eyes lit up. Had she gotten it right? Was he going to help her? "But I don't see how that helps."

Sakura's face fell.

"You idiot! You know what I meant!"

"You _did_ say anything."

"But- "

"Any information about me can be found simply by asking around. A question and answer session isn't going to prove anything." he said with reserved calm.

"Well, what else do you want me to do? Get a signed statement from the Hokage?" Sakura's face was becoming red with anger, and her muscles tensed. He was such an asshole!

"There's an idea," he said, eyes creasing in a smile. "You get that form signed for me, and then we'll talk."

Sakura just barely managed to dodge the door to her face.

Yes, having an eighteen year old girl walk up to you claiming she was your student from the future and demanding you help her get home could be a little strange. Having her follow you home and keep you from closing the door to your own house could be a tad bit annoying. But did he _really_ have to be so rude about it?

Sakura gave the door a sound kick. "What happened to keeping an eye out for your teammates?!"

"I'm off duty at the moment," came his voice through the door. "Maybe next time."

"Kakashi-sensei! You open this door right now!" she cried out.

No reply. Sakura heard the thud of what was probably his kunai pouch being placed on the tabletop, along with various other items being discarded from his pockets. He was really planning on leaving her out there!

"I don't know who else to ask! If it were up to me I wouldn't even _think_ of coming to you, you lazy old pervert!"

Sakura heard Kakashi's footsteps coming toward the door.

"You're going to wake the neighbors," he said quietly, his voice muffled.

"They're all old, deaf people!" Sakura replied in a purposefully louder voice. She emphasized her statement with another kick.

"Oh," was his reply, his voice back to its normal volume. "That would explain a lot."

"Please, sensei," Sakura's voice softened. "If you help, I'll do my best to pay you back."

There was a pause. Sakura could still sense him standing near the door. She felt her heart leap when he cracked it open. She, Haruno Sakura, had gotten through to the great Hatake Kakashi! This was a moment to remember.

Kakashi peeked out through the door, his vest now removed and his hitae-ate no longer covering his sharingan. He gave Sakura a good, long look. She held her breath, afraid of making him change his mind and scaring him off.

"No offense, but I'm a bit tired tonight, and you're really not my type."

It took Sakura a full minute to understand the implications of his words. Her face turned a deep shade of red.

"You PERVERT!" she finally bellowed.

In a smart move, Kakashi reshut the door.

"Of course that's the first thought that would come to your dirty mind at the mention of payment!" She hammered her fists against the wooden surface. "I can't believe I came to you of all people!"

"Then go away," he said simply.

That was it. She was fed up with everything. She was tired, hungry, hadn't slept for days, and she _really_ hadn't done anything to deserve this. At least nothing that warranted having her taken away from her friends and life, just so she could be thrown into another time. With _this _bastard.

Sakura charged her hand up with chakra, and placed it on the doorknob. She gave it a sharp turn. The metal broke. Kakashi was on her in an instant.

Sakura felt the air knocked out of her lungs as her back hit the wall. She sucked in a breath and looked up to see Kakashi's more than irritated face, his hands pinning her arms and keeping her from moving.

She really wanted to go back home.


	2. Ryou's Attack

_A/N: A clarification for the last chapter - yes, Sakura was already in the past, but we didn't know how she got there, and Kakashi didn't know her. This chapter takes place in the present, or before she went to the past.  
_

_I have certain thoughts about this chapter, but I'd rather see what others think of it. Hopefully it'll just be me. :X  
_

* * *

Rewrite

Ryou's Attack

* * *

**In Present Time**

The only reason Tsunade still found herself alive was because she still had a thing or two to teach her apprentice. As much as she wanted to, the pink-haired girl couldn't find it in her to kill her mentor just yet. It'd be a waste of knowledge, in Sakura's opinion. She would have liked to at least give the Sannin a good kick, but it was all or nothing. If Sakura left things unfinished, the busty blond would have _her_ ass instead.

Sakura wasn't usually one to have such violent thoughts (or at least that's what she liked to tell herself), but this was unreasonable! Team Seven had _just _come back from a week long mission and were immediately being assigned another.

"_I apologize for such short notice," she said in a tone that suggested she didn't really care either way. "But all other shinobi that qualify for this mission are currently on duty." _

"_Tsunade-shishou," Sakura began. "We saw Kurenai-sensei's team arrive on our way here." She had lost a lot of sleep on the mission, and all she wanted was some rest. Doubtlessly the other team was also worn out, but it was every ninja for himself. "Hinata and Kiba's abilities would be more suitable for tracking-" _

"_Kurenai's team only just got back." Tsunade interrupted, completely disregarding the fact that they had as well. "Don't try to blow this off." _

"_But we-" _

"_This mission is not just about tracking. Rumor has it the target is powerful. A bunch of insects and a dog will not be enough to properly complete this task. You need strength." Tsunade gave Naruto and Sasuke a meaningful look. "I can't say you two are lacking in that area." _

_What she said was true. But she had only meant for it to be flattery. Had only meant for it to stroke Naruto and Sasuke's egos and get them to accept. They both fell for her trap all too nicely. From that point on Kakashi and Sakura had no say in the matter, though Kakashi hadn't said much since their arrival, anyway._

"_Yeah, Sakura-chan!" Naruto chirped, suddenly cheery. Funny, Sakura thought, considering he had complained the most when Tsunade had first mentioned the job. "We have to make sure we beat this guy to a pulp once we find him. We can't let that Kiba bastard fail the mission." _

_A 'hmph' and a smirk was Sasuke's way of agreeing. _

"_Nobody's had a chance to unpack yet, I assume?" Tsunade asked. "Take whatever you already have. You are to leave immediately." _

_It was then Sakura decided she hated this woman. _

So now here she was, waiting for Pakkun to find the target and for Kakashi to give them the signal. All because her lazy drinker of a master didn't have the patience to send someone out to fetch the other group. Team Kakashi had bad timing.

She had been crouching against a tree for so long that her legs had gone numb. Now she found herself trying to unfold one of them in front of her without making any noise. This proved to be a horribly difficult task with the autumn leaves threatening to crunch under the weight of her butt any second. She was risking giving away their location to the enemy, but if she stayed down in that position any longer, she was going to _hurt_ someone, and she didn't care if it was someone from her own team.

A small eternity passed before she succeeded. She let her head fall back gently against the tree, and let out a low groan of impatience. Now if she could just stretch out the other one, maybe she'd be able to feel her feet again…

Tsunade hadn't been very clear with the mission details. It involved a time-jumping shinobi named Ryou who had been causing trouble and had made an appearance in the forest just outside the main village gates sometime that night. It all sounded fruity to Sakura. If he were that great he would have already warped his hide into the next century, where he'd probably be forgotten and _not_ have people on his tail. She couldn't help but think their target was spreading rumors to create a name for himself. Time-jumping her numb foot.

Only a ridiculously high amount of willpower was keeping Sakura awake. Naruto _had _to pick that night to keep uncharacteristically silent. What was she supposed to do without the blond's complaints to keep her distracted?

"Sakura."

Said kunoichi jumped, effectively making the leaves crunch and a twig snap quite loudly.

_Crap_, she thought. _After all that careful work..._

She snapped her head towards the approaching Copy Nin. "What?!" She yelled out, no longer caring for their secrecy. He had been the first to break the silence.

"Naruto and Sasuke are with the target," Kakashi said, now standing beside her.

"What?!" She repeated, jumping up to her feet, which were now painfully regaining feeling. After all that waiting she wouldn't even get to be part of the action? "Why didn't you tell me!"

Sakura started leaping from tree to tree towards the location where she now sensed Naruto and Sasuke's unmasked chakra. Being so close to the village she hadn't recognized their signatures sooner. There were too many shinobi in the area.

"I called you over the radio twice after sending out the signal, but you didn't respond," he told her, easily keeping pace.

Well, that would explain why he had personally come to pick her up. And why Naruto had been so quiet. She should have known it was too good to be true. Sakura stopped for a moment while she yanked the communication device off her neck. It was turned on, alright, and tuned to the correct channel, too. But Kakashi, now looming over her, seemed to disagree.

He reached across her chest to run a thumb over the wheel of the radio. "We're on channel five."

"_Five?"_ Sakura hissed. Kakashi wanted to take a step back for safety, but there was unfortunately no space left on the small tree branch they stood on. "You specifically told me four!"

Kakashi blinked at her and scratched right below his ear. He was tempted to actually stick a finger in there and comfort his throbbing eardrum, but he suspected that would only infuriate her more.

"I don't recall saying that," He began carefully. "But – well, the numbers can be easy to confuse, seeing as they both start with the same letter and-"

Kakashi decided not to finish the sentence as he took a look at her face. Sakura glowered at him, slowly crushing the innocent radio in her fist. He gave a small cough.

"You did it on purpose!"

"Did not," Kakashi replied in mock hurt.

"This is the _fifth_ mission in a row that I don't get to take any part in." The kunoichi said in a dangerously calm voice.

"The first three missions had nothing to do with me," he said defensively.

Up until now Sakura hadn't thought that fourth mission had anything to do with him either. She had blamed Naruto and Sasuke for getting the missions over with before she could even reach the battle sites. But before she could react to this new piece of information Kakashi resumed talking.

"If we hurry up you might still be able to catch him while he's conscious. You could get a couple of kicks in." And with that, he leapt to the next tree.

By the time Kakashi and Sakura got there only half a minute later, Naruto had already pinned the now struggling target to the ground and appeared to be absolutely pleased with himself. He also looked positively comfortable on his spot on the man's back. Sasuke was standing nearby looking, as usual, inconceivably bored. With that look on his face it was impossible to tell he had almost gotten stabbed in the gut a mere minute ago, or that he was part of the reason why this section of the forest now had a new clearing.

"Kakashi-sensei! Sakura-chan!" The blond cried out. "You shoulda seen it! We got him down so fast!"

He grinned up widely at both of them, expecting some sort of praise. A quick nod from older man seemed to do the job. Naruto pushed himself off the ground, but not before giving Ryou a good rap on a particularly sensitive point on the back of the head. This successfully caused him to stop his struggling, deciding to instead place his efforts in something more significant. Like maintaining his consciousness.

"Idiot." Sasuke mumbled. "You completely forgot to watch out for his hands. I had to remind you. Twice."

Had Sakura not been so busy sulking over her recent inactivity, she might have wondered what exactly they were talking about. But instead she now stood next to the man's side, nudging him in the ribs with her toe.

"Stop..." Ryou wheezed in a tone that failed to come out as threatening and menacing. "Stop!"

She considered giving him a good round of kicks like Kakashi had so usefully suggested, but it was just no fun if he wasn't able to fight back. Not to mention it was pitiful enough watching him try to pull himself away from her infiltrating foot. The so called time-jumping ninja was moving away from Sakura in good resemblance of a flopping fish.

No, there was definitely no point in further humiliating him.

"Done with him already?" Kakashi asked, appearing beside her. "No pummeling bodies into the ground? No ripping out intestines?"

That brought him back to life. Ryou threw Sakura an alarmed look and began moving away from her with renewed strength.

"If anyone's intestines are getting ripped out they're going to be yours," she informed him.

"Such kindness," he muttered. "But I'm afraid most of my intestines are already gone." He said this with a small frown and such a sullen tone that made Sakura wonder whether he was serious or not. She threw him a concerned look, but Kakashi only smiled down at her and gave her a pat on the shoulder before stepping over Ryou's body and making his way towards the other two members of their team.

Sakura blinked at his back and decided it would only serve him right to be missing half of his digestive system. It was all his fault she hadn't gotten in on any of the action! She glared at Kakashi's back furiously, hoping the intensity of her stare would turn the red swirl on the back of his vest ablaze and set him on fire. If he had just told her the right _channel!_ Those seven hours of waiting for nothing. She could have just stayed home in bed. Sakura began muttering under her breath, insulting each member of their team without their noticing.

Paying no mind to the infuriated kunoichi, the jonin was currently busy staring uninterestedly at his two male students argue over what had taken place during the battle. They seemed to agree upon the fact that the Uchiha had more than once almost been at the receiving end of a few kunai throws, but while Naruto swore it was due to dying reflexes, Sasuke attributed it to being a result of trying to save the loudmouth's skin.

Sakura heaved another sigh. Her role in this mission, she supposed, would be to get these two to shut up before their beat-up paycheck managed to gather up enough energy to run away. Sakura inhaled deeply, preparing for her outburst.

The earsplitting sound of Sakura's voice reached the four men's ears. Her actual words hadn't gotten to any of them because of the pair's squabbling, but that hardly mattered. It had had the desired effect.

Just as they shut up Sakura felt a hand harshly grip her ankle. She felt a bit of joy burst through her. She now had a reason to kick the man! That joy left her when she saw the chakra glow from the Ryou's hands transfer to her ankle. Sakura didn't feel its effects, but judging by the man's sneer and the horror-struck look on her teammates' faces as they yelled out her name, it had to be bad.

"You dropped your guard, girl," Ryou laughed, his voice suddenly sounding remarkably strong.

"What the hell!" she cried out. At the last word she gave him one good chakra filled kick in the side of the stomach, sending him rolling away. But his look of triumph somehow stayed put through his look of pain. How she would've loved to give him another one in the face, but Sakura now found she couldn't move.

"It's begun," he muttered with a satisfied smile.

"Sakura-chan!"

Naruto leapt towards her but didn't get far before Kakashi grabbed him.

"Don't touch her! You'll only end up going with her!"

"That's the damn point!" Naruto snarled. He kept struggling under Kakashi's hold, but his grip was too firm.

"Naruto, don't! It won't do any good!" She cried out, but he didn't seem to hear. He continued to kick around and shout at Kakashi to release him. She wanted to move back and put some space between her and her teammates, but it was like trying to will her hair to grow muscles. She simply couldn't detect any part of her body.

Somehow in the back of her mind Sakura had registered what was happening to her, but it still hadn't sunk in. It was a good thing, too. Had she truly realized she was about to travel through time and end up in some unknown date all on her own, she might have asked Kakashi to allow the blond to tag along.

Sasuke looked liable to grab her any second, as well. As indifferent as he always looked, he was bound to have _some_ sort of attachment to his teammates. Kakashi cast him a worried glance, not sure what he would do if he decided to go for it as well. It was hard enough keeping the now orange-glowing Jinchuuriki down. Luckily for Kakashi, the Uchiha decided to make himself of more use. He suddenly appeared beside Ryou and forced him to his feet. His sharingan was aflame, and he was spitting threats and orders into the man's face.

Sakura was surprised when Kakashi released Naruto. Even further surprised when the blond turned to shout straight in their teacher's face, rather than make his way towards her like he had attempted earlier. It was when Kakashi's eyes looked in her direction but stared somewhere behind her rather than at her when she realized she was no longer really there. But _she_ could still see _them_. Sort of. Everything was just starting to become a bit blurry.

Alright, so maybe the whole time thing wasn't total bull. And this guy could make others travel around, too, not just himself. Before Sakura felt herself completely fade away, one thought went through her mind.

_Well, fuck._

* * *

Sakura opened her eyes with a start. She was lying on the grass, somewhere she was sure was still the forest. She'd been here enough times to recognize it, and she was pretty sure this was the same location she had been in seconds earlier, except that it now had trees that hadn't been completely destroyed by a series of Chidori and Rasengan attacks. Sakura was surprised to find that she hadn't lost consciousness, only gotten astonishingly dizzy. Her eyes had also failed her for a minute.

And now her body felt utterly screwed and disoriented. A bit earlier the sky had started brightening to signify morning was on its way, the trees had been for the most part leafless, and the night had been a bit cool. What she currently saw was darkness that hinted it was just past midnight, trees with green leaves that looked very much alive, and it was warm enough for her to know it was spring. It wasn't often the environment changed so drastically in a matter of seconds. She had reason to feel a bit out of whack.

The medic nin understood what had happened, and the sudden change in surroundings only served to confirm it, but for some reason she couldn't find it in her to be nervous. But that didn't mean she wasn't pissed.

Her fist connected with the ground and created a meter long crack.

"Damn it!" she cried out to the trees, pushing herself into a sitting position.

But she knew they'd find a way to get her back. She had three of Konoha's best ninja on her side. Naruto could sprout a few tails and beat the culprit around a bit, Kakashi could go all Mangekyou and send a few body parts off to multiple dimensions until Ryou gave in and accepted to help them. And if worse came to worst, she also had an Uchiha who had undeniably proven he could hold grudges. The man didn't stand a chance.

Sakura sighed and ran fingers through her hair. At this point she was more worried about her friends than herself. They'd worry about her and blame themselves (at least Naruto and Kakashi would), and wouldn't know for sure if she was alright. She had seen the torn look Kakashi had given her as he held Naruto back. He wanted to help her as much as the fox, and it pained him not to be able to. But Sakura understood perfectly well that having one of them disappear along with her would be of no use. They would be of more help in their own time, where they'd have the most up to date information about Ryou. That was assuming she was now in the past. Either that or she was well a couple hundred years into the future since those tall trees would have needed a lot of time to grow after being so ruthlessly destroyed.

Judging from her teammates' behavior, the three had already known about how Ryou's abilities worked, and more importantly, that they were actually the real deal. The only time Kakashi could have given them the information was when they had been communicating by radio, which she hadn't been correctly tuned to.

Sakura's arm shot out to the side, slapping an innocent tree with the back of her hand.

She was _sure_ he had said channel four!

There wasn't much she could do now. She knew she would not be able to knew anything until morning, and she was still tired from all the lack of sleep. The warmth of the night was only making her more heavy-eyed. She'd figure out what to do later. For now, she welcomed rest with open arms, right there on the ground.

* * *

The village gate was beginning to come into view. Sakura had made it there in record slow time. She hadn't been able to bring herself to stop dragging her feet. After getting some sleep and letting her mind rest a bit, she was now thinking more clearly, which only meant she could now see the gravity of the situation.

Sakura doubted that even Kakashi's aresenal of a thousand or more jutsu had any time-related ones stored around. Sasuke's grudges could get older brothers killed, but she doubted they would get her back home, and Naruto could grow as many tails as he wanted for all the good it would do. Sakura imagined that even if tortured, any self-respecting villain would never agree to help her return.

Letting herself get too caught up in her emotions would do no good. She knew her friends were now doing whatever they could to help, and she at least owed them to try her best over on her side as well. She took a deep breath and beat her dread and worry into submission. She had no time for wallowing in misery. Sakura would not sit around and wait to be rescued. With new determination, she began picking her feet up again.

When she brought a dirty hand up to brush hair away from her face, new thoughts came to mind. Albeit not very good ones.

She needed a shower. A long one at that. And shelter. She was _not_ going to live without indoor plumbing. She also needed a change of clothes. At least her undergarments. She was a kunoichi and was used to getting dirty, but unlike Naruto seemed to think, it didn't mean you had to completely forgo hygiene.

Sakura absolutely refused to stay in this state of filth. She briefly wondered if she'd have to put her ninja skills to use and reduce herself to a pickpocket. Before she could begin questioning her morals and kunoichi's honor, she was standing right before the gates. Her eyes flickered to the desk where the guards were. If they were anything like Izumo and Kotetsu, they would know every damn ninja that was currently on duty outside the village and would most certainly recognize an outsider. They would question her, even with her very noticeable red hitai-ate there to back her up.

She was in luck. They _were_ a bit like Izumo and Kotetsu. At least when it came to taking naps when things got boring.

She raced past the gate and to the other end of the street. If they detected her, she'd already be hidden among the villagers. But when she looked back, their heads were still buried in their arms. She'd have to talk to Tsunade about that when she got home. No wonder Orochimaru had made it in so easily when he invaded.

Sakura was half-expecting somebody to come charging at her with a kunai, yelling "intruder!" She was getting a lot of curious glances. She looked down at herself. Did she really look that out of place? It must have been her hair color. It was kind of obnoxious.

Ignoring all the curious looks directed at her colorful head, Sakura's eyes offhandedly drifted toward the Hokage monument, and just like that her spirits lifted. Four faces overlooked the village, which only mean she hadn't gone back that far. Sakura smiled and breathed a sigh of relief. There was bound to be somebody she knew! At the very worst, the Fourth had just become Hokage. If that were the case, it would be even better for her. The Fourth was said to be the strongest Hokage of them all. Surely he would know how to get her home.

"Excuse me, miss."

Sakura's eyes snapped to the speaker to stare at him with guilt and anxiety. He was obviously shinobi, most likely a chunin.

"Are you from around here?"

This was it. She had been caught!

But no, that wasn't it. As her mind caught up with her Sakura realized she had been gaping at the monument for too long. No normal resident of Konoha ever paid a second thought to those rocks, and in doing so she had most likely made herself look like an outsider.

"Yes! I, uh... yes," she gave a nervous laugh, fingers tucking nonexistent loose strands of hair behind her ear. "I'm just looking for someone."

The chunin threw a look over his shoulder toward the mountain, unsure of what anyone would be doing up there.

"Well, if you're lost or anything-" he stopped mid-sentence when he realized Sakura had already scampered away.

Sakura made a beeline for the training grounds, knowing it would be less populated. She had to get away from the villagers and the nosy chunin who had only been trying to do his job. Sakura couldn't risk running into anyone who might recognize her as an outsider. Who knew what they'd do with her? Her legs automatically guided her to the training field she knew best, and the one that happened to be her first: Training Ground Three. It didn't take her long to arrive, not when she was using chakra to increase her speed. She was still feeling uncomfortable with the people who kept throwing her strange looks, but why wouldn't they when she was looking at everyone with such a guilty expression? Sakura hadn't done anything wrong, but _they_ didn't know that.

When Sakura arrived she found that there was nobody currently using the training area, but she still felt better finding herself a nice, secluded tree branch where no one was likely to see her. She climbed up the tree and settled in as comfortably as one could on a prickly wooden surface. Sakura ran a hand tiredly through her hair, and tried to evaluate her current situation. Other than knowing she hadn't gone back too far, she hadn't the slightest idea of what year it was. It might have been a good idea to find out what date she was in when she was still in the main part of the village. It was difficult to come up with much of a plan without knowing what, or who, she had available to her. For all she knew the Kyuubi wasn't yet sealed and would attack the village in three... two...

But fortunately for her the Kyuubi was long gone, because from here she could see the memorial, and Kakashi standing right in front of it. He looked the same as ever.

Sakura jumped off the tree and charged at him full speed. If he had noticed the speeding kunoichi coming straight at him, Kakashi gave no sign of it.

"Kakashi-sensei!"

Here was the answer to her getting back home, and to solving all her current problems. Kakashi would help her, she was sure of it. They were teammates after all. The man was a genius! He would know what to do. She would be back in no time.

Sakura came to an abrupt halt inches away from his body and her arm reached out to grab a fist-full of the shirt on his arm. His head turned slowly to regard her, then his gaze slid down to pointedly stare at the spot where her hand grasped his clothing. She didn't notice.

"What?" he asked, irritated.

Oh, yeah. He didn't know her. Well, that complicated things. And interrupting him in the middle of this ritual of his might not have been the most respectful of actions. But no matter. Sakura launched right into her story. It would just take a minute to make him understand.

Right?


	3. VS Kakashi

_A/N: I'm sorry about taking so ridiculously long to update! I'm not too happy with this chapter (not ever too happy with anything XD) but I feel I've put it off enough. I'm hoping someone will be able to offer some good feedback rather than me just sitting here and beating myself up over it. _

_

* * *

_

Rewrite

VS Kakashi

* * *

**The Past**

The unexpectedness of Kakashi's move caught Sakura off guard and left her staring at him dumbly, wondering what the hell had happened to the older jonin's usual lethargy. The kunoichi was undeniably aware of her former teacher's capabilities, but to see him use so much speed in such a trivial situation was disorienting to say the least. She could understand the irritation, but the Kakashi she was familiar with would have settled for a harmless glare.

Seeing she was in no hurry to loosen herself from his grip, Kakashi let her go. Sakura continued to stare at him, unsure of her next move. There _had_ to be something she could say to make him understand! The pink-haired kunoichi searched his eyes for the answer, but all they said was that she was wasting her time.

"Go home." he said mercilessly.

She opened her mouth as if to speak but no words came out. His brusque words made her angry. She didn't want to have to deal with him.

"Fine, then," she snapped at him. "I'll find my own way back! But just remember where you can shove all that helping your teammates crap!"

No response.

Sakura would not waste any more of her precious time begging this indifferent jerk for his assistance. She turned and took a few brisk steps away before abruptly stopping and turning back to look at him. His lack of care for her predicament infuriated her.

"I don't see what's so hard to believe about time-travel," she hissed at him, "when you can rip open holes to new dimensions with nothing but your eye," she kicked the innocent ground and continued to walk away. "Thank you very much for your help, Kakashi-_sensei!_"

Sakura promptly turned back around and found herself almost smashing straight into Kakashi's chest. She gave an indignant squeal and tried pushing him away, only to have him roughly grip her wrists to keep her in place. He had ruined her impressive exit.

It seemed she wouldn't be leaving with her dignity tonight.

Kakashi said nothing for a moment, unsure of whether or not to ask his next question. Then his eyes narrowed at her dangerously.

"_What_?" she demanded. The situation was getting frustrating.

"How do you know about the mangekyou?" he questioned roughly. Kakashi looked intimidating.

Sakura was unfazed.

"What's it to you? You said it yourself," she snapped at him. "Any information about you can be found by simply asking around!" She pulled her wrist free from his grasp and tried to leave again, but Kakashi blocked her path. In retrospect it would have been wise to take advantage of his sudden attentiveness, but she'd had enough of trying to force him to cooperate.

"That information has not been disclosed to anyone outside a select few in ANBU," he pressed. No need to let her know the black ops had nothing to do with this. "There's no way you would have access to that information, not without unauthorized means."

Sakura stared at him for a second.

"What?" He was kidding, right? "Are you saying I snuck my way into ANBU's files?"

No need to let her know there were no files on it, either.

"Trying to steal the villages secrets, am I?" Sakura was getting ready to knock him back into the future.

Yes, that was esentially what he had been trying to insinuate, to put her under pressure and see how she'd react. Kakashi knew he sounded ridiculous. If he really believed the crap that was spouting out of his mouth this girl would have gone to the dogs a long time ago. But he was stalling. He needed a moment to think. His progress with the mangekyou was still in its early stages. Only two others happened to know about it, and only because they had been helping him with the technique. The work he was doing with the sharingan was not necessarily a secret, but it was still not something anyone outside of his comrades knew. It was highly probable that once he perfected the technique in a few years knowledge of this new stage of the sharingan would become common information, but for now he wasn't even sure what the doujutsu was doing. It was Tenzou who had recently come up with the theory of accessing other dimensions after seeing the technique begin to take action. And for her to already know...

The girl's awareness of the mangekyou and its abilities was definitely something to think about, but he would not let it buy his trust so easily. He needed time to figure out who she was, and whether or not to accept the possibility that her story was true.

"I suppose I'm a threat to Konoha now!" Sakura continued. "While you decide how to dispose of me, if you'd so kindly step aside and get the hell out of my way?" She tried shoving him again, but once again, Kakashi stopped her. Sakura was not feeling particularly patient at the moment, and began kicking and shouting profanities at the silver-haired man.

Ignoring her struggles, he let out an irritated sigh and sucked up his pride. He'd decide what to do with her once he better understood what he was after.

"How far back?" Kakashi asked.

Sakura stopped her struggling. How far back should he step aside to get the hell out of her way?

"How far back what?"

"How far back did you come?" he repeated, not all too happily. He didn't believe her. Of course he didn't. But he needed to see where her story would lead.

It took Sakura a lot longer than it should have to understand that she was getting through.

"I... don't know," she said, her anger suddenly dispelled. "I came straight to you."

Seeing her calm down he let go of her wrists.

"You expect me to believe your story when you can't even get the details straight?" he said aggravated.

"I couldn't just wander around the village asking for the date!" Sakura pointed out to him. "What if someone recognized me?"

"As a shinobi you should understand that gathering information is critical to getting through a mission alive," he admonished.

"This isn't a mission, and unless you're planning on killing me this isn't about survival either!" Sakura snapped. "And as a shinobi _you_ should also understand the importance of keeping a low profile!"

Kakashi did not like to be lectured on shinobi basics. That was _his_ job. He had half a mind to lock himself back in his apartment, but he suspected she wouldn't let him do so that easily.

"Some kunoichi you must be if you can't even snatch a newspaper." He rubbed his hand over his face, already regretting having let himself get involved. He felt like an idiot, and soon enough Genma would come out from behind the corner and laugh in his face for taking such a fabricated story into consideration.

Was a little peace and quiet too much to ask for?

"For your information time-travel can be a very traumatizing experience!" she informed him. "I haven't had the time to worry about trivial things like checking the date!"

Kakashi looked at her warily. He'd seen stranger things than time travel in this twisted world. Time travel didn't seem _completely_ implausible. But even if she were truly from the future, was she really worth helping out if she couldn't take the initiative to gather some basic information? He would pardon her lack of proper action for the moment, if only just to avoid more trouble.

"It's been roughly twelve years since the Kyuubi's attack," he told her tiredly. And if she couldn't figure it out from there, he was going to bed, and she to hell.

It took Sakura a split second to do the calculations.

"That's about six years, then," she said.

Six years wasn't so bad. But she had hoped it would be less after having seen Kakashi. He did look noticeably younger, but it was hard to get a good estimate of his age when the man had no face.

"Where would your present time counterpart normally be around now?"

"Does that mean you'll help me?" Sakura asked, feeling a great load lift off her shoulders.

"No. Answer the question."

Kakashi had already managed to somehow cut his thumb without her noticing, and was now making the seals for his summons. Sakura took that to mean his no was a yes, and she could feel relief wash all over her. With Kakashi on her side she _knew_ she'd be going back.

"At home," she answered, watching as he kneeled down to flatten his hand against the ground. Pakkun and Bisuke appeared in a puff of smoke.

"It's south of the Academy, if you want to go check," she spoke excitedly. "They should have to problem finding it," she said, referring to the dogs.

Sakura stared curiously at Pakkun. His face looked no less wrinkly than usual. She would have thought he'd look a little younger. She was about to make a comment before Kakashi gave his ninken instructions.

"Bisuke, get her scent and come with me. Pakkun, keep an eye on her. Stay inside. Don't touch anything."

That last part was directed at Sakura. Of course, the _dog _would probably be allowed to do whatever he wanted.

Kakashi took off across the rooftops with Bisuke by his side without directing another word at Sakura. At least she had finally received permission to go inside. But whether that was a sign of trust or a test to see if she'd do anything in his absence was a mystery.

Sakura had spent the past 20 minutes staring out the window waiting for Kakashi's return. Chances were he would arrive from another direction, but looking out there was better than having to face the tiny pug beside her. Pakkun had been staring at her the whole time, probably just _waiting_ for her to breathe the wrong way before running off to tell his master.

The kunoichi threw him a glance. He was still staring back. It unnerved her. Pakkun was her favorite of Kakashi's dogs. She would feed him table scraps when Kakashi wasn't looking, and would even give him the occasional belly rub. She wasn't used to having him look at her like an enemy.

But Pakkun looked quite at ease from his position on Kakashi's couch. She was probably just being paranoid.

Maybe if she talked to him?

"Your hair."

Sakura jumped, the sound of Pakkun's sudden voice startling her. He had beaten her to it.

"It smells like Flora-"

"Stuff it!" she cut him off. She didn't need to be reminded she bathed like a dog.

Pakkun blinked at her and cocked his head. What was _her_ problem?

They were both quiet for a moment. Sakura turned back to stare out the window.

"If I were you I'd reexamine my choice of bathing products," she told him. "You smell like a girl."

He blinked at her again. Could she smell it on him, too? It had been a while since he last washed.

Sakura heard Pakkun hit the ground as he jumped off the couch and landed on four paws.

"How did it go?" she heard him ask.

"How did what-" she inhaled sharply at seeing Kakashi had suddenly appeared in the room. Where the hell had he come from?

"Don't do that!" she squealed. She might have punched him on any other given day, but this stranger Kakashi was probably not going to appreciate it.

"Well?" she prompted.

Kakashi said nothing. He only eyed her suspiciously.

"Did you find me or not?"

Still quiet. Sakura began to get nervous. She had probably not been at home. Maybe her presence here had caused her younger self to disappear. Or what if today was the day Iruka-sensei had had them spend the night at the training grounds to practice their camping skills? Or maybe she was staying at Ino's?

Kakashi's silence was not helping. Sakura felt the urge to say something.

"I can explain!" she began, though in truth she really couldn't. Before she could even try, Kakashi vanished.

And reappeared right by her side.

Sakura felt him grab her wrist with one hand, and use the other to swiftly snatch her kunai holster from her side. Was he planning on fighting her?

Sakura tensed and prepared to defend herself. He vanished again, instantly reappearing by the table. Kakashi's posture was relaxed, and Pakkun was scratching a spot behind his ear. Not the slightest bit of tension.

What was going on?

"Bisuke was able to track your scent." he said, placing her holster next to where he'd left his own. "Same exact chakra signature, same hair. Roughly six years younger, as well."

Sakura felt a sense of relief. She wouldn't have to go one on one against her teacher. And speaking of which...

"Then why the hell would you attack me?" she yelled. "If you see I'm telling the truth then what need is there to confiscate my weapons?"

"The only thing I learned from finding that child is that you seem to be the same person. There's no guarantee that time-travel is involved in any way."

"Well, I'd love to hear what other explanation you may have for it then, oh Wise One!"

Kakashi tried to come up with an answer. A clone? A genjutsu finally strong enough to fool him? An Orochimaru experiment? As much as he hated to admit it, time-travel seemed a lot more likely. Pakkun was showing no signs of mistrust, looking rather comfortable stretched out on the couch, so at the very least the girl wasn't out for his blood. She didn't seem all that suspicious anyway. She obviously felt comfortable enough around him, having no qualms about shouting at him or destroying his property.

"You say you time-traveled?" Pakkun spoke up, directing bored eyes at the pink-haired kunoichi.

Sakura stopped glaring at Kakashi for a second to turn towards the pug.

"I've heard a thing or two about that," he said. Pakkun had meant for it to be an offhand comment, but the two shinobi's curious looks prompted him to keep going. He sighed.

"Sometimes it seems like you humans know nothing about your own history," he grumbled.

Kakashi darted him a look, which Pakkun sensibly ignored.

"When shinobi first started becoming more aware of kekkei genkai, people would make all sorts of claims to attract attention to their clans," he began. "Ya know how that works. They're still doin' whatever they can ta make themselves look better. They'd insist to have everything from mind-reading abilities to special eye powers. If you could prove ta have a bloodline limit, you were automatically promoted to elite status. But if you were found to be lyin', you were usually killed," Pakkun paused a moment to yawn. "Time-travel was a popular one, but those who were said to manifest disappeared, rarely ever seen again. Some said it was because they were off time-travellin', but most think they just went off into hiding to avoid being killed."

"But that was ages ago," Sakura said. "Haven't there been any more recent cases?"

Pakkun shrugged. "Not that I've heard of."

Sakura felt discouraged. If what Pakkun said was true, she would need to find someone with this particular bloodline limit if she ever hoped to make it back. That's if they were even around anymore.

Kakashi now felt even more unsure of his next step. With even Pakkun acknowledging the possibility of time-travel, Kakashi had nothing left to disprove the girl's story.

Thoughts still on the pugs brief lesson, Sakura stared off into space looking troubled. Kakashi had no idea what that girl expected him to do for her, but she didn't seem to be a threat with the way she was worrying her lip and completely ignoring him.

Kakashi picked up the weapons from the table and made his way to his room. Sakura snapped out of her thoughts and watched him.

"We're going to the Hokage first thing tomorrow, like you should have done in the first place."

Sakura looked overjoyed. They were making progress here.

"Try anything funny and I won't waste my breath keeping you alive for interrogation."

"Thanks," she whispered under her breath, disregarding the death threat.

She heard Kakashi walk into his room and place the confiscated weapons on a hard surface, then sensed him move across the room. She heard him rustling around before his arm shot out through the door frame and sent a small bundle flying straight at her. The blanket hadn't even made it to her before she heard the door to his room slam shut.

Sakura stared dumbly at the door, blanket in hand. She was sleeping on the _couch?_

Well, compared to the ground in the forest, this was a vast improvement. What had she been expecting from Kakashi, anyway? And now that he had seemingly agreed to help her, she felt all the fatigue she'd been keeping at bay crash down on her like a boulder. It didn't matter that the thing looked awfully lumpy. She made her way to the couch were Pakkun was laying, ready to sink into it and drop dead. There was no time to worry about her friends, Kakashi being an asshole, or anything else for that matter.

"I'm assumin' I'm expected ta stay for the night," came Pakkun's voice. "Can't have you tryin' ta kill him in the middle of the night."

"Hmm." she hummed in reply.

Sakura picked him up off the couch and held him as she lay herself down. The small dog was surprised when she placed him by her side, rather than sending him off to the floor. Pakkun turned his head to look at her questioningly, but Sakura was already gone, mouth hanging slightly open.

"She didn't even use the blanket," Pakkun sighed, snuggling in closer to the newcomer.


	4. Medic Nin

_A/N: I apologize if you received multiple alerts. I was having technical difficulties._

* * *

Rewrite

Medic Nin

* * *

Kakashi poked aimlessly at the bowl in front of him, moving the rice from right to left, left to right, up the bowl's side, and anywhere else it would go. There wasn't ever much to do in the morning.

"Why don't you just eat it?" Pakkun finally asked from his seat on top of the table.

"It's cold," he replied grimly.

Pakkun blinked at the jonin. What was wrong with cold food?

"If you really don't want it you can give it ta me," he said hopefully.

"You'll get fat."

Kakashi kept at it, ignoring Pakkun's hungry stare. The dog had his own food, and Kakashi wasn't about to hand over his bowl of cold, tasteless rice.

Just because he didn't want it didn't mean it wasn't his.

The jonin wasn't in the best of moods that morning, what with a random girl laying there stretched all over his couch. What in heaven's name had compelled him to let her stay? It wouldn't have been at all difficult to force her out, despite how stubborn she seemed to be. Perhaps he was being overworked at ANBU, and it was finally starting to affect him. He _had_ been taking up a lot of those interrogation missions lately. But if anything, the only thing those missions seemed to do was to put him an a more sadistic mood than usual, in which case he wouldn't have minded giving the girl more trouble.

Whatever the case, he regretted not kicking her out.

Now Kakashi was faced with the problem of figuring out what she was after. She claimed to have time-traveled, and had even managed to point Kakashi in the direction of someone who appeared to be a younger version of her. It had been very easy to track her down, and her scent, chakra signature, and even the hair color had matched up perfectly. Kakashi had detected no genjutsu up to that point, and neither had Bisuke. There were plenty of other ways the kunoichi could have planted up some sort of evidence, but even Pakkun, who was excellent with getting a feel for people's true intentions, had seemed perfectly at ease around the pink-haired kunoichi.

Kakashi had decided since the previous night that he would take her straight to the Hokage this morning. The problem would be out of his hands, though he was still uncertain of how exactly he was supposed to approach the Third about this matter. Mission reports were one thing, but time-travel rumors were ridiculous.

The girl stirred from her place on the couch, apparently still fast asleep. Pakkun glanced at her. Kakashi kept his eyes firmly focused on his food, having no desire to look at the intruder. If it weren't for her, he'd have been at the memorial right about now. Or sleeping, more likely.

Pakkun stopped studying the kunoichi once he determined she was not about to get up anytime soon. He turned his head back to his master's breakfast.

"Why'd ya let her stay?" he asked, shamelessly ogling the food. The ninja's decision had seemed a bit out of character the previous night, but he had known better than to question him when he was so obviously annoyed.

"Hm," he grunted unhappily, still not quite sure himself. "That's what she was after, wasn't she? You saw those horrible bags under her eyes."

As Kakashi said this he decided this probably wasn't why he'd agreed to it, but now that he thought about it, she _had_ looked like something had chewed her up and spit her back out. Had he had a heart he might have even pitied her.

"Looked almost like a raccoon," Pakkun agreed.

In an instant a tight bundle connected with the back of Pakkun's head and exploded into a mess of green blanket. Kakashi had, of course, seen it coming, but had felt no need to defend the ninken. The dog had looked a little _too _comfortable sleeping next to the girl that morning. That was what he got for getting too friendly with people.

"How _rude!_" Sakura shrieked.

Pakkun, who had been thrown to the floor by the force, struggled to disentangle himself from the bedding-turned-weapon. He shook the stars from his head and turned to face her with betrayed eyes.

Kakashi continued playing with his food.

"Weren't you sleepin' just a second ago?" The pug asked, deeming it wise to pretend he hadn't just been assaulted.

"I _was _sleeping until mop-head here started slamming cupboard doors in the kitchen!"

"Ah, so it worked then," he answered. He place his chopsticks on the table and proceeded to stare at the wall unhappily.

As a ninja Kakashi had been specially trained in concealment and stealth throughout his entire life, and that morning he had chosen to swiftly thrown everything he knew about being a shinobi out the window. He had taken the time to carefully smash and slam everything he could get his hands out, making as much noise as possible in an attempt to wake her up.

Sakura, being the kind girl she was, had chosen to feign unconsciousness throughout the whole ordeal, knowing her lack of a reaction would piss him off.

"You shoulda gotten up when he started doin' that. Look how irritable he's gotten."

"Then maybe he oughta pull that stick out of his-"

"We shouldn't be gettin' all grouchy this early in the mornin'," Pakkun interrupted miserably, sensing vicious feelings emitting from both parties.

Sakura glared at Kakashi but said no more. She knew she'd be pissy too if someone just barged into her home claiming to know her and demanding shelter, but she couldn't help but feel annoyed at how openly he was demonstrating his aggravation. Maybe there was something she could do to make him hate her less...

"Let's go," Kakashi suddenly said, standing up and abandoning his rice.

"What?" Sakura squawked, caught off-guard. "Where?"

"To the Hokage."

"But... right now? Why?" Sakura wasn't ready to see the old man, yet. In her mind he was still as dead as could be.

"What exactly do you expect to gain by staying here?" Kakashi demanded.

"Well aren't you going to at least finish your breakfast?" she stalled. She needed time to mentally prepare, damn it!

"What I eat is none of your concern." Kakashi had already made his way to his bedroom.

"What's the big hurry? Breakfast is the most important meal of the day, you know..."

Should she just flat out tell him the Third was supposed to be dead? Would that help him slow things down? Knowing Kakashi she doubted it. He'd probably recite some rule about shinobi and their emotions.

The older jonin walked out of his room, Sakura's weapon pouch in hand, his own already attached to his thigh. He really meant business.

Pakkun wondered if this would be a bad time to ask for the leftovers.

"Don't I at least get a chance to shower first? I've been wearing these clothes for days!" Sakura protested.

"Do you always get all washed up for the Hokage before reporting your missions?"

"No, but..."

"Then let's get moving," he said with a hint of finality.

Sakura opened her mouth ready to object, but closed it again. She really had no right to demand anything more from him. The simple act of having allowed her to stay the night was already showing a lot of kindness on Kakashi's part. Sakura couldn't criticize his current choice of action, either. He was properly doing his job as a shinobi of Konoha and reporting all oddities straight to the Hokage, which was what she should have done the moment she stepped foot in the village, just as Kakashi had told her last night. There was no point in using him as a middleman. The right thing to do would be to report to the Hokage on her own. It would make Kakashi's life less miserable. But she couldn't and wouldn't do it. Even if he hated her guts at the moment, Sakura needed his support, even if all he had to offer was a familiar face.

Or mask in his case.

Kakashi was at the door, wiggling the broken doorknob around as if it'd become fixed with enough shaking. He was having no such luck.

"I'm sorry for causing you trouble," Sakura said softly from behind him.

He didn't respond. Her sorry wouldn't fix his door. He waited for more, expecting her to use her apology as a lead-in to a speech to try to convince him to let her stay longer. Instead he heard her coming towards him. She was finally ready to leave.

Kakashi gave the flimsy doorknob one last hit before he pulled the door open. He was met with the sight of a man in a porcelain mask, his hand ready to knock on the door.

"Hatake Kakashi. You have a mission from the Hokage," he said, handing Kakashi a scroll.

Kakashi looked at the ANBU expectantly, waiting for him to continue. The ANBU shifted his head slightly to motion at Sakura.

Oh, right.

The jonin stepped through the door and closed it behind him using a little more force than necessary, leaving Sakura inside with an indignant look on her face.

"Hey!" she cried, beginning to stomp toward the door.

Pakkun stepped in front of her to block her path.

"If he doesn't want you ta hear then stay away."

"He didn't have to slam the door like that! It's not like I would have followed him!"

"You're trying ta follow him now, aren't you?"

"But-urgh!" Sakura ran a hand through her hair in frustration and threw herself on the couch.

Kakashi, on the other side of the door, now sure she wasn't listening, turned his attention back to the ANBU. The two took a few steps away from the door before talking.

"Matsuda Hideo has escaped from the Detention Center. You are to go after him immediately."

"Matsuda? He was just interrogated yesterday. He shouldn't be in any condition to run."

"He was well enough to dispose of the two ANBU guarding him. It seems he was wounded in the leg before he got away. That should slow him down and buy you enough time to catch up. He was reported to have left the Detention Center about an hour ago."

Kakashi opened the scroll to find the Third's hastily written instructions. An assassination mission. That made sense enough. If he was good enough to get away even once, he would be too much of a threat if he stayed alive.

"There is no time to gather a squad, nor is it necessary," said the ANBU. "Matsuda has been weakened enough by the interrogation and the earlier fight."

Kakashi nodded.

"Understood." Kakashi pocketed the scroll.

Now that business was out of the way, they could move on to other matters.

"Tenzou, would you mind doing me a favor?"

Said shinobi gave a soft groan behind his mask. Trust Kakashi to break one of the most important rules of ANBU. The man would just not respect the uniform.

"Would you mind taking that girl to the Hokage?" he asked. "It seems she's involved in something that the Third needs to hear about."

So that was what it was. For a moment Tenzou had believed that Kakashi had finally taken an interest in women.

He should have known better.

"My apologies, sempai," he replied with a slight bow. "I'm expected back at headquarters within five minutes. Good luck with your mission," Tenzou hastily bowed and disappeared in a puff of smoke before Kakashi could guilt trip him into doing his bidding.

The jonin sighed. Would it be so terrible to make them wait for a few minutes at headquarters? The punctual types were so unreliable.

With Matsuda's untimely escape, Kakashi now had no sure way of getting the girl to the Hokage. But that wasn't important at the moment. For now he had to get going. This guy was dangerous, and if Kakashi let him get away, _he_ would be the next shinobi on the Third's list of people to kill.

* * *

The milk wasn't expired, surprisingly, but there was a plastic container of moldy something staring back at Sakura from the back of the fridge. Some vegetables were there to accompany it, not looking exactly rotten, but not in the freshest of states either. She could have probably used them to make herself a decent meal, but Kakashi might just rip his hair out of his head if he found her messing around in his kitchen. She would settle for eating part of his untouched breakfast.

Said jonin had left for a mission not all too happily. He had asked Sakura to report to the Hokage on her own, and she had obviously refused. Kakashi had fought against letting her stay, but in the end left with a resigned look that suggested he had known all along what the end result would be. Whatever his mission had been, it obviously took priority over whatever danger was posed by leaving a stranger in his apartment. But he had still left Pakkun behind, just in case.

It wasn't like she was planning on doing anything in there anyway. No one in their right minds would consciously try to make an enemy out of Hatake Kakashi. But by now, Sakura was probably getting pretty close...

He had changed into his ANBU gear before departing. The identity of ANBU members was supposed to be kept secret, but it was a ridiculous rule that few people followed. Everyone knew who was and wasn't in ANBU. The masks really only ever helped in missions outside of Fire Country. There were few who managed to keep their identities unknown, and they were usually the ones that had normal colored, non-gravity defying hair. He hadn't even bothered trying to hide himself.

There was very little to do in the apartment aside from staring at the wall and watching the moving clouds in the sky outside the window. Sakura didn't want to go outside, either. It probably wouldn't be wise to walk openly around the village. Who knew what damage she could do when time-travel was involved, and what rules she was already breaking by coming to her teacher. Or if there were any rules at all. Was there some sort of governing system for this kind of stuff?

Sakura spent a great portion of her day walking back and forth from one end of the apartment to the other. She would avoid getting too close to Kakashi's room, as it would make Pakkun sit up straight and give Sakura an uneasy stare. Unfortunately for the kunoichi, that was the one place she might have been able to find entertainment. His entire collection of books was in there, and with the state of boredom she was in, even porn was better than nothing.

Instead she spent the day agonizing over how she would ever get home, and what she was going to do when she saw the Third again. She really needed Kakashi to be there to do all of the explaining for her. She had to keep her talking to a minimum, unless she wanted to blurt out something inappropriate to the old man. "It's good to see you're not dead anymore, sir!" would probably not blow over too well.

The entire day went by completely eventless, and after she got tired of pacing she laid on the couch and stared at the ceiling. It wasn't much more interesting than the wall.

It wasn't until she heard Pakkun's stomach growl that she realized how hungry she was. But she wasn't so concerned about herself. Upon hearing the sound she shot straight up and turned to look at the dog with an apologetic look. He hadn't eaten all day, having been so busy watching after her.

"There's still some rice left, if you want it," she told him. "There's not much, but it should be enough to get you through until Kakashi gets back."

Pakkun quickly turned to look hopefully at the bowl sitting on the table, but just as fast his excitement went away and he sighed.

"No, he's right. I'll get fat," he said glumly. "And he'll kill me if he finds out."

"I won't tell anyone," she offered. He didn't reply. "Does he have food for you around here somewhere?"

The ninken shook his head.

Kakashi, that bastard.

"But you have to eat_ something_. You'll starve."

Pakkun looked out the window and thought for a moment. The sun was beginning to set. Kakashi would probably be getting back soon. The mission wouldn't last until tomorrow. There was no way he would have left the girl alone there that long if he knew it would take him more than that. So Pakkun just had to hold out a bit longer. He'd been through worse.

But then his stomach growled.

"Just eat the rice, Pakkun. Just this once won't kill you."

Maybe the rice wouldn't, but Kakashi would.

He had fully intended to decline the offer before Sakura stuck the bowl right under his nose.

"Eat it."

Pakkun hesitated only a second longer before giving in.

Meanwhile, Sakura let herself collapse on the couch. Her boredom turned into tiredness, and soon enough she drifted off into sleep.

* * *

He frowned.

"What are you still doing here?"

That woke Sakura up. She had subconsciously registered that he had returned when she heard the door open and close, but hadn't cared enough to wake up properly. Now she slowly pushed herself upright and stared at him through droopy eyes. Judging by the stiffness of her neck, she'd been asleep for a few hours. The sky outside the window hinted it was well after midnight.

"What do you think I'm doing here?" she grumbled. The temptation to turn around and fall back asleep was strong.

"How difficult can it be to report to the Hokage without an escort?"

"Very."

Kakashi just stood there.

Sakura yawned.

Perhaps he was planning on dragging her to the Hokage at that very moment, but rather than saying anything about it she waited for him to make the next move. Luckily for her he turned away from her and made his way to his room.

Perfect.

Sakura rolled around and wrapped the blanket around her. She would go with him to the Hokage without resistance in the morning, but for now she only wanted to sleep.

The kunoichi began to take note of Kakashi's irregular footsteps right as Pakkun approached him and asked, "You alright?"

Now Sakura really woke up. She leaped up from the couch, throwing the blanket on the ground, and barged into the room right after him.

"Get out."

That was his pissed off voice.

"Why the hell aren't you at the hospital?"

"Out!"

Now even Pakkun flinched.

How had she not smelled all the blood on him? Granted, half of it probably wasn't his, but he was very obviously wounded.

"Were you planning on getting this fixed in the morning?" she snapped. "You do realize you could die from blood loss by then, right?"

Was she not listening to him?

"The bleeding stopped. This is none of your busin-"

"It _is_ my business if I'm here to blame when you die!" she said. "Are you going to let me help you or not?"

Kakashi pushed the wolf mask off his face and ran a hand through his hair. She really needed to go. He knew he could take her on, even in his condition. And he would dispose of the body, and no one would ever need to know.

"First aid is in the bathroom," he said tiredly.

Sakura ignored him, accepting the statement as permission to start healing. She placed her hands over his hip and began letting her chakra seep into his system. But of course, things were not allowed to run all that smoothly, so Kakashi's hands snapped over her wrists to stop her.

"Gee, and I was _this_ close to killing you, too," she said dryly.

He let her go.

Sakura found the most serious-looking wound and placed her hands over it.

"You're a medic nin." he stated.

"Trained by the Hokage herself," she said proudly, paying more attention to her work than to her words.

Kakashi registered the statement for future reference.

"I fix up idiots like you. Actually, you're one of my most frequent patients since you seem to think you're too good for the hospital."

He ignored the reference to her knowing him.

"I can take care of myself," he said defensively. "The last thing I need after a long mission is to sleep in a hospital bed."

"Yeah, yeah," she said, focusing on fixing everything he'd broken. "Better to masochistically endure the pain and sleep in your own bed, right? Just leave the hospital until morning." she grumbled.

It made perfect sense to Kakashi.

The jonin refrained from making any reply. He had no wish to make any sort of conversation with her. Instead he sat in silence, wondering how long the healing process would take. The pain from the wound on his hip was rapidly subsiding, but now his focus was shifting over to his fractured ribs.

This was a lot faster than going to the hospital.

Sakura's current usefulness only served to further irritate Kakashi, so he made a point to let her know he still didn't want her around.

"You're still leaving first thing in the morning."

Sakura gave an unladylike snort. "That's assuming you're in well enough shape to get up."

Kakashi didn't reply. He was too tired to try to keep up with her, so he let himself accept relief from the pain. Maybe waiting hadn't been a good idea, not that he'd ever admit it out loud.

Matsuda had put up a better fight than expected. A wounded leg and a bad mental state hadn't been enough to weaken him, and as if getting rid of the guy hadn't been enough, Kakashi still had to go through the trouble of bringing the body back for investigation.

He was worn out. The cool feeling of the healing chakra in his body was quickly taking down his defenses. He couldn't stay awake much longer. If he was destined to die at the hands of Pinky here, so be it. He half-trustingly put his life in her hands and gave in to sleep, thinking that if anything went wrong, Pakkun sure as hell better put up a good fight for him.


	5. The Hokage's Arrangement

Rewrite

The Hokage's Arrangement

* * *

The healing was perfect. Kakashi couldn't find a single sore muscle or even a scratch. It was a miracle he was even up. She had done an impeccable job, and even though those medics always required you to take it easy after taking a beating, Kakashi hadn't been able to help but make sure that everything was really in proper working order. He had left his apartment and made his way to the nearest shop in search of breakfast, leaving the streets down below him in favor of running across Konoha's rooftops. It didn't matter how fast he hopped from roof to roof, or how much chakra he used to do so. There wasn't the slightest hint of pain.

But unfortunately for Sakura it had to be said that Kakashi wasn't always the most considerate of people. So regardless of a job well done, he wasn't going to simply let her lounge around his couch.

Back with food, Kakashi now stood next to Sakura, still dead to the world with her mouth hanging wide open. He reached over and grabbed hold of a piece of blanket and forcefully yanked it off, pulling her halfway off the couch in the process. She woke with a grunt and a start, arm instinctively shooting out to keep her from falling. Before she could determine what was going on, Kakashi shoved something into the hand that wasn't being used to keep her from smashing face-first into the floor.

"Why can't you wake me up like a normal person!" she yelled half-heartedly, pushing herself back upright. But in truth she wasn't too concerned about her near fall. Her attention was more focused on the paper bag with food he had given her. After having barely eaten the previous day, she was starving.

Kakashi ignored her and sat at the table with his back to her. Meanwhile Sakura took no time in inspecting the contents of the bag. Rice balls, and he had thrown some bread into the mix, too. She ripped the wrapping off the first item and took an eager bite. It took a minute before she was able to speak.

"That's how you thank me after spending all that time on you?" she took another bite of her bread. "You ungwatefuh pwick," she said through a full mouth, the intensity of the insult lost.

"I could have let you starve."

It was her turn to ignore him.

Kakashi began at his own food, at a much more reasonable pace than Sakura. There was silence as she continued gorging on her food. She only paused her eating when it came time to take the rice out of its plastic wrapping, at which point she took the opportunity to try to make some conversation.

"You were out cold last night," she began. "Do you know how many times I tried to wake you? It was hard getting to the wound on your back when you insisted on lying flat on it."

No reply. He wasn't very talkative, this one. But no matter. The wrapper gone, it didn't take long for the rice to disappear, and she soon enough began to work on the next.

"Where's Pakkun?" she asked, only just noticing the pug's absence.

"Went home."

"Hm. Didn't even say bye."

That would end their exchange until Sakura finished eating, which wasn't very long.

"Anks foh sah food."

Sakura finished swallowing, and then she waited. They would probably leave the second Kakashi finished eating. She only hoped he wouldn't be in such a hurry to get rid of her that he would leave the explaining to her. She wasn't too keen on the idea of debriefing the dead.

"What's your name?"

The question threw her off for a second. "Sakura."

"Just Sakura?"

"Haruno Sakura."

"Hm." He took another bite of food.

She had been here over a day and only now did he think to ask? Well, whatever worked for him.

The silence became aggravating. She wished he would ramble on about nothing in particular, like he usually did whenever they were together. Even that was more interesting than just hearing his chewing. It wasn't the quiet in itself that was bothering her. They were known to sit around in companionable silence while they watched Naruto and Sasuke beat the guts out of each other. It was the fact that he had no desire to really acknowledge her. He had probably only fed her to keep himself out of trouble with the Hokage.

She wouldn't push it, though. If he wanted quiet, so be it. She _had_ broken his doorknob, after all.

With nothing better to do, Sakura took to staring at the back of Kakashi's head, focusing all her attention on a single point. If she stared at it long enough, she could probably make it itch... But minutes passed, and he only continued nibbling at his food. She soon gave up and shifted her attention over to hygiene.

"Can I... shower?" So much for the quiet. Hopefully he wouldn't chew her up for talking.

"No." That settled _that_ question.

She resumed her staring, this time aiming to create a fire. It would have worked, if Kakashi hadn't broken her concentration by standing up.

"Time to go," he said, pulling his mask back into place before turning to face her.

Sakura stood up slowly and reluctantly behind him. But she wouldn't complain this time. He had fed her and provided her with shelter, even if it had all mostly been against his will.

"Can I have my kunai back before I go?"

"Later."

Had she not proven she was trustworthy by not killing him last night?

Wasting no time, they made their way to the Hokage, Sakura growing more anxious with each step. Would the Third believe her? And even if he did, would he be able to do anything about it? What if she was stuck here for the rest of her life? Despite her worries, Sakura had trouble feeling as much worry as she probably should have been at that point. It was difficult to feel homesick or in danger when she was still within the walls of Konoha, and when everything still looked pretty much the same to her. Even Kakashi was here, as distant as he was from her.

Before she knew it, they were standing before the Hokage's office. Kakashi was poised to knock on the door, when Sakura interrupted, not quite ready to see what was behind door number one.

"Wait!" she said in a harsh whisper, pulling him a few steps away.

Kakashi let out a soft, irritated sigh, but at least he wasn't glaring daggers at her. That was a major improvement. "What is it now?"

"Don't I get a thank you? For healing you up. You would have been in the hospital at least two days if it weren't for me."

He looked at her blankly. "You can't be serious."

"But I am! I mean, just the fractured ribs alone would have taken-"

Kakashi began making his way to the door again, but Sakura grabbed his by the sleeve of his arm and pulled him back again. He was getting ready to forcefully get her into that office, but Sakura began speaking again.

"No, wait," she repeated, now sounding more serious. She paused for a second to gather her words, but made sure to hurry before Kakashi tried to run off again. "Thanks," she said. It felt like she was saying a goodbye, which she probably was in a way. It wasn't likely he would want anything to do with her after the Hokage took her off his hands. "For letting me stay, I mean." she shifted around awkwardly. She wasn't used to talking to Kakashi like this, but she didn't want him thinking she was an ungrateful moocher after she left. "I know you didn't want me there. You weren't exactly the most hospitable of hosts, and you never did let me shower either, but... thank you."

She let go of his arm. Kakashi stood there, not too sure of how to react. He hadn't been expecting a thanks, especially considering most things had happened against his will.

He cleared his throat. "Don't worry about it."

Sakura cracked a small smile. That had to be the most civil thing he had said to her ever since she had gotten here.

To avoid any further awkwardness, Sakura walked back over to the door and knocked on the Hokage's door herself. Kakashi made his way back beside her. Sakura couldn't help adding some final words.

"And when you finally become my teacher you better remember how much of an unsupportive ass you were and make it up to me," she said softly under her breath, but loud enough for him to hear.

That was a nice way to end a thank you.

"Come in," came the Third's voice.

Sakura's stomach flipped. She froze for a second. Kakashi put a hand on Sakura's shoulder and propelled her forward as he pushed open the door. The gesture reassured her, though he probably hadn't mean for it to be supportive in any way.

There on his desk, the Third sat before them.

Kakashi closed the door behind him and greeted with a bow. "Hokage-sama."

Sakura followed suit. Standing up straight again, she looked straight at the Hokage. Immediately she focused on her breathing, in an attempt to hold back the whirl of emotions that were threatening to take over.

It really was the Sandaime. He had been honored by everyone, even before his heroic death. He had been a grandfather-like figure to many, particularly to kids at the academy. He had often gone through the trouble of stopping by to cheer on and spend time with the trouble-making, soon-to-be genin. Due to her impatience with children and people in general, that was something Tsunade would most-likely never be remembered by.

His death had hurt. And to see him sitting here again, alive and well, fingers laced in front of him as always...

"Kakashi," the Third began, snapping Sakura out of her thoughts. "I was informed you had some serious injuries from your previous mission. Shouldn't you be in the hospital?"

"They weren't that serious," he said defensively. Sakura wanted to kick him. No injury was ever serious as far as he was concerned.

The Third gave him a doubtful look. He knew the jonin liked to put treatment off until in suited him.

"But that's already been taken care of," he added quickly, before the Third would request for him to be escorted to the emergency ward.

"Over the course of the night?"

"That actually relates indirectly to why I'm here."

That seemed to satisfy him in terms of the jonin's health. He directed his attention away from Kakashi and turned to look at Sakura.

"Does this have anything to do with you?" he asked. He had noticed her and her Konoha hitai-ate when she walked in. As Hokage, he was very familiar with his shinobi, but he hadn't seen this particular kunoichi around his office.

"Yes, sir," she replied, her voice bordering on weak. She almost kicked herself. She would be strong. She'd already seen her share of the resurrected, and this time was much less creepy than the others. She would have to put her emotions to the the side.

The Hokage narrowed his eyes at her, ever so slightly.

"This is Haruno Sakura, a medic-nin. She proved her proficiency at her work by treating me without the need for a visit to the hospital," Kakashi explained. "She came to me with the claim that she's from the, um... future."

"The future," the Hokage repeated, his face expresionless.

Kakashi couldn't tell what the man was thinking. Should he even continue? With the expectant look he was receiving from him, he had to assume so. "Uh, yes, the future. She estimated she's traveled six years into the past, and says she came to me because I'm to become her team leader. Other than that, I'm not quite clear on the details."

_Maybe you would be if you had listened that day at the memorial_, Sakura thought.

"How can we trust that you are not an enemy?" the Third said addressing her.

Sakura opened her mouth as if to speak, but no words came out. Crap! Sakura didn't know what the answer to that was, and she was having trouble thinking of anything with her mind already on slow. She doubted anything she said would have helped much, anyway. The Third turned back to Kakashi.

"What about you, Kakashi?" he asked turning to him. "You've been spending decent time in Interrogations recently. I'm sure you have valuable experience in discerning truth from lie. What do you have to say? Do you believe her to be trustworthy?"

"Ah, well..." he scratched the back of his head as he thought of an answer. He didn't like this question. "She hasn't done anything to make me think otherwise," that reassured Sakura, who was glad to have even a bit of Kakashi's trust. "But time-travel does seem a bit improbable."

"Improbable, indeed."

Shit.

"I was on a mission right outside Konoha, sir," she had to explain everything, before he drew any conclusions on his own. "My team was sent to capture the shinobi that would eventually send me here. We thought we had him under control, but he managed to grab hold of me and use his jutsu. It's my understanding that his abilities are a bloodline limit."

Kakashi looked at her with mild interest, the information sounding vaguely familiar from the first time she had told him.

"I see," the Third said simply. He paused to think for a second. "This shinobi. Did he come back with you?"

"No, sir. My teammates held him back before he could escape." The more she talked the easier it became to look him in the eye.

"Who are these teammates of yours?"

"Hatake Kakashi, Uchiha Sasuke, and Uzumaki Naruto."

That caught Kakashi's attention. Of course an Uchiha would be the first to pass his test. The Hokage gave some sort of grunt, but it was impossible to know what it meant. Sakura wondered if he was planning on having her locked up.

"And did your teammates not attempt to prevent this from happening?"

"It was too late to do anything by the time the jutsu was activated. They tried, but Kakashi-sensei stopped them. He believed they would be more helpful by staying in our own time, with the most current information."

"Does this sound like a course of action you would take, Kakashi?"

He cocked his head to the side and considered it for a second. "Maybe," he replied helpfully. How was he supposed to know what his future self would think? It was hard enough knowing what he thought right now.

Not expecting to get anything more than that out of him, the Hokage resumed looking at Sakura. It was all she could do not to look away. But she wouldn't back down now. She had survived through way too much to end up going down in her own village. It was difficult, though. He was scrutinizing her, waiting for her to break down and confess that it was all a joke. Sakura didn't know what she could do to help her situation.

Kakashi continued to stand by, apparently not caring one way or another what the outcome would be. He was just the messenger here.

"Haruno Sakura," he repeated. A small smile crossed his face. Neither jonin knew what it meant.

"Hokage-sama?" said Sakura. Kakashi wanted to know what the man was thinking, as well.

"My eyes may not be what they used to, but I can still recognize you. Particularly because of the hair, of course," he paused as if to examine her even more, because clearly the stare-down hadn't been enough. "As far as I'm concerned, however, you should still be at the academy."

Neither Kakashi or Sakura knew what to say.

"The graduation test is still some time away, but plans for the new genin teams are already underway," he explained, beginning to search through some of the paperwork on his desk. The two jonin stood expectantly, waiting for him to continue. "Nothing has been confirmed, yet, of course, but what Sakura says is correct, Kakashi," he said. Sakura wondered what she was correct about. When had she been quizzed? "Iruka and I _have_ been considering placing those two boys under your care."

He pushed a file in front of him, motioning for them to take a look at it. He took the opportunity to stand up to look out the window overseeing the village. Kakashi took a step forward and picked up the document from the desk. Sakura followed behind him, curious to see how it related to her predicament. Seeing nothing of relevance he flipped through the first couple of pages. There were names of various jonin teacher candidates, and then he found his own. There were three pictures under his name, and one of those was certainly a younger version of this Haruno Sakura. Kakashi recognized the other two as the Jinchuuriki and the one who would inherit the Uchiha clan. It all fit together.

"Does this mean we are accepting her story as true?" he asked. All she had done was prove she knew the Hokage's plans.

"Unless you have any objections." he stated, eyes still on the village.

Sakura's eyes lit up.

"Thank you, Hokage-sama!" she eagerly bowed. There would be no throwing her in a dungeon, and she wouldn't become a prisoner in an outdated Konoha. She stayed in that position until the Hokage told her to stand upright.

Kakashi wasn't ready to dance in joy with her, though. It wasn't that he wanted to mark her as a dangerous assassin and spy right off the bat, but he had trouble understanding how the Third could accept this as if it happened every day. Sensing his hesitation, the Third turned back around to address him.

"Kakashi, you in particular should be aware that the range of abilities we ninja have are many." You went and copied a couple thousand jutsu and they just never let you live it down. "Who are we to rule out time-travel as a technique someone might have managed to create?"

Kakashi thought back to his developing mangekyou. As Sakura had so usefully pointed out the first night, the whole dimension warp thing didn't sound all that probable either, but there you had it. It wasn't _that _far-fetched when you really though about it. But shouldn't they be looking for more concrete proof?

Sakura looked over at Kakashi worriedly. It had slipped her mind that he was here not to support her, but to fulfill his duty to the village.

"Unless you can present me with a reason for why we shouldn't believe in her word, I'm going to ask that you take her in until we can figure out a next step."

Take her in, he had said. It was times like these that Kakashi didn't like being loyal to Konoha.

Sakura was relieved. There was still no word on how, or even if, she would ever get back, but at least she had some support. That was the Sandaime she knew, always willing to help, and giving people the benefit of the doubt. His willingness to trust others was probably the reason Orochimaru had managed to get away with so much in the first place, but it was also what made so many shinobi loyal to him. Who wanted a deranged and paranoid Hokage, after all?

Was there any way for him to be saved, to be warned about his former student's plans to kill him? If they took the appropriate precautions, they could even prevent the whole Sasuke-saving episode.

"Hokage-sama, is this really necessary? We could arrange for provisional housing..." Had he not already done his part?

"The process would attract attention. I understand this may not be ideal for either of you, but we do not have enough information regarding the behavior of time-travel. We cannot risk letting you walk about freely, and potentially changing what is to happen in the future," he reasoned, taking a seat.

Kakashi understood the safety concern, but there were still plenty of other options. The Third wasn't too keen on letting him voice them, though.

"But-" Kakashi had only begun to protest when he interrupted.

"In the event that she is here for less than noble deeds, this arrangement will enable you to more easily keep an eye out for suspicious activity. Sakura," he said turning to her, at the same time ensuring Kakashi wouldn't get a chance to speak. "Understand that you will be under Kakashi's watch. You will be dealt with accordingly should we find you to be taking advantage of our trust."

As Hokage it was his job to threaten people, but Sakura had nothing to hide and therefore nothing to worry about.

"Kakashi. I am going to leave you responsible for looking up any relevant information regarding this matter in the ANBU archives. I will do some searching on my part as well, and we will move from there. For now, I will entrust her to you. Consider this a mission."

The silver-haired jonin was quite unhappy about being asked to open his home to a stranger, but the Third just wasn't leaving any room for argument. He had pulled the mission card, and that made the order as official as it could be.

"If you wouldn't mind stepping outside, there's something I would like to discuss with Sakura. It might also give you a minute to being mentally preparing for your task."

What he meant was, "get used to the idea, because you're not getting out of this". Kakashi did as he was told without a second look at Sakura. He bowed himself out of the room and closed the door behind him.

Oh, crap. If Kakashi was pissed off, she was going to be in for it. But for now she had to talk to the Hokage.

"Sir?"

"Your actions speak volumes," he started, lacing his fingers back in front of him. "But at my age, it doesn't come as a surprise."

He knew. But how could he not, with the looks she was giving him and with the waves of discomfort she was radiating around her own Hokage?

She had to tell him. She could prevent his death, and she could stop Orochimaru. Sakura made as if to speak, but the man wasn't Hokage for nothing. He was a step ahead of her.

"Let be what needs to happen," he said. "All is for a reason, and in the course of trying to mend what you believe to be broken, you may unwillingly make things worse."

How? How would preventing deaths at the hands of Orochimaru bring about any problems? He _was_ the problem.

"This may not be clear to you now, but I ask you to give it careful thought. Negative events will eventually lead to positive consequences. Exercise caution with your words."

Sakura felt disheartened. He could only say that because he hadn't lived it. Because he hadn't seen all the wreckage Orochimaru had caused, and all the trouble the village had gone through during the period of time he had gained control of Sasuke. She couldn't question him, though.

"I understand, Hokage-sama," she said softy.

The Third smiled at her. He could see her emotions in her eyes, even if he didn't know the details of what was triggering them. "The exception is, of course, if Konoha is in danger of being blown up," he joked. "Then maybe we should do something about that."

Sakura couldn't help but smile back, mostly because he didn't know how on target he was. Fortunately that had turned out well in the end, and there wasn't much anyone other than Naruto could do about that.

"I think we'll be fine, sir."

"Good. And remember what I said. You think about that, and we'll do our best to get you back. Now call Kakashi back in, if he hasn't already run away. I need a word with him as well."

"Thank you, Hokage-sama," she beamed at him. "And I guarantee you that your trust isn't misplaced."

She bowed her way out, and a moment later Kakashi walked in. His facial expression revealed nothing.

"How are you feeling?"

"Ecstatic." Kakashi deadpanned.

"Excellent."

* * *

Sakura was too mentally exhausted to be irritated after being ditched at the Hokage Tower. Speaking to dead people could really take it out of you.

The Hokage and Kakashi's conversation had been taking a while. She was beginning to wonder what they could possibly be talking about when the Third had walked out and looked surprised to see her. He had frowned and sighed before informing her that Kakashi had left a while ago. She had dejectedly stood and made her way out of the tower.

Any good points she had won with Kakashi after her heartfelt thank you had gone back down the toilet when the Third had forced Kakashi into this arrangement.

As she approached his apartment Sakura suddenly felt his chakra signature vanish. She sighed. She knocked on his door, knowing very well that she could simply walk in with the doorknob still busted. When he didn't answer she announced her entrance and walked in anyway. Kakashi still refused to stop hiding his chakra. Sakura closed the apartment door behind her and made her way to his room, which was closed as well.

"Sensei?" she called with a knock. "Sensei, I know you're there." She shifted her weight from leg to leg and looked blanky at the door for a few moments before trying again. "I'm sorry he forced you into this. That wasn't my intention."

Maybe he really wasn't here? Hesitantly, Sakura cracked the door open and took a look inside. Kakashi was lying flat on his stomach with his head buried into a pillow. Apparently he had no need for oxygen.

"I promise I'll stay out of your way. And I'll help you around the place, too. Cooking or something." He was motionless. Perhaps he had killed himself. "Laundry, even! If you want..." Nothing. "Sensei, I really need to shower," she said forcefully, getting to the point.

Kakashi didn't want to move. He was absolutely comfortable where he was, and he hoped that if he waited long enough his brain's lack of oxygen might help him pretend that this had never happen. But that wasn't working as expected, so he finally lifted himself up a bit and turned his head to the side to face her. Sakura continued to stand at the doorway, waiting for him to realize that she did indeed exist.

"How many times have you been here before?"

"Uh... a couple?" she answered, though in truth it had been more than several. She came here looking for him whenever he was late to anything, whenever he evaded the hospital after missions, when she attempted (and failed) to demand payment after he ran out on a bill, and often just for the hell of it.

"How many times is a couple?"

"A lot." she admitted.

"Then you know where everything is," he half asked, half stated.

"I suppose so..."

She knew where he kept his porn stashed, too. But maybe he didn't want to know that.

Wow. She knew more about him than she thought.

His head smashed back down into his pillow. She assumed that gave her permission to do what she needed. But there was still a problem, and the floorboard creaked under her weight as she began shifting around again.

"Sensei?"

"What." he demanded, his face still plastered into the pillow.

"I need clothes."

The Third was going to pay.


	6. Insensitive Brutes

_A/N: I've been stuck in a year-long reading/writing intensive course that's been sucking up all my time and keeping me from updating. Unfortunately, that class is in no way related to fiction._

_If you have the time, I'd appreciate some feedback on how I'm doing with this story. What may seem a good idea to me might have you making funny faces, and if I'm doing something that just seems completely nonsensical to you, I'm ready to work on it._

* * *

Rewrite

Insensitive Brutes

* * *

Those cracks in the ceiling looked sort of like a house, she supposed. Like the ones kids drew, with a triangle on top and square right under it. Except that the bottom part was kind of circular, really, so maybe it was more like a head. With a hat. Yes. That's what it would be, Sakura decided. A head with a pointy hat.

The level of boredom Sakura had achieved was mind-boggling. She was now more familiar with this section of Kakashi's ceiling than she ever wanted to be. It couldn't get any worse than this. After wordlessly handing her a shirt and shorts with a blank look in his eye that was more frightening than his killer intent, Kakashi had led her out of the room and closed the door in an unnaturally gentle way that promised death should she bother him again anytime soon. That's why she hadn't been able to complain when she noticed the clothes he had given her were at least fifty sizes to big, no exaggeration on her part. He had probably done it on purpose. A couple of knots here and there, and a bit of rolling up sleeves fixed it up in no time. Now she was just waiting for the appropriate to ask him how she should go about washing her clothes. She did _not_ plan on staying this way.

And she felt just dirty without her underwear.

Kakashi had been locked in his cave for hours, and she was starting to get hungry again. She wasn't sure she was willing to go another day without a proper meal. It had been a while since she'd had some decent food, what with all those back-to-back missions. Naruto had rushed them all back home, refusing to take the time to eat out at a nearby town. She suspected Sasuke would have preferred to eat out as well, but of course he wouldn't have cared enough to voice it.

Not that it mattered right now. Both of them were only twelve years old or so at the moment, and they were undoubtedly excited at the prospect at eating out at a campsite for the first time. Back when they had all first become genin, that was one of the moments they had felt they had truly become ninja, though they would soon realize that the bad food and lack of plumbing wasn't that exciting after all.

Despite the somewhat positive attitude she'd had thus far, she was internally a mess. She had no idea how this time thing worked, but if everything was going on as normal over there, she knew her teammates would be worrying their minds out. It wasn't to say she wasn't also worried about what would happen. Concealed at the pit of her stomach was an apprehension that threatened to emerge, but she wasn't going to let it rise. Panicking would not get her back home.

That was when Kakashi chose to emerge and distracted her from her thoughts. The door opened slowly, and he stood at the frame looking out, analyzing the room as if making sure there was nothing out of order. But apparently there was, judging by how he contorted his face at the sight of Sakura splayed across his couch. It seemed secluding himself to a corner of the apartment wasn't going to help get rid of her.

When he said nothing Sakura decided that if anyone was going to make use of their vocal chords it would have to start with her.

"Hatake Kakashi has emerged from his cave," she narrated, as the subject in question stepped out and made his way toward the kitchen. Her eyes followed after him.

"He's on the search for a meal, completely unaware that all he will find is mold."

That didn't keep Kakashi from uselessly pushing the empty containers around the refrigerator. Sakura listened to the plastic clang around for much longer than necessary. This time or her time, he just plain liked to defy her. She pushed herself upright and watched.

"I ate the rice, by the way, if that's what you're looking for."

Kakashi stopped his rummaging and shot her a glare.

"Hatake Kakashi appears to be irritated," was her dramatic response.

"Having fun?"

"Oh, yes," she answered blankly.

Kakashi made an unhappy grunt and turned his attention to the cupboards behind him. Rather than searching for anything he simply stared, as if the answers to his food problem were written on there somewhere.

"You don't suppose you'd be willing to feed a hungry soul?" she asked hopefully.

"The rice wasn't enough for you?" he asked accusingly.

"Considering I ate most of it yesterday, no," she said honestly. "It wasn't very filling either. And it was kind of hard. How long has it been around?"

"A while."

"Or maybe you're just bad at cooking."

Ignoring her last statement he made his way back to his bedroom, having found no sustenance in the kitchen. As luck would have it, she of course began talking again before he made it all the way.

"Before you hole yourself up again why don't we figure out how we're going to work this out? It's a mission, isn't it? We need to know who's doing what, and the sooner we do that the faster I can leave you to your hermit-like practices."

"We?"

"Hokage's orders," she said quickly.

"No, his orders were to babysit you and look for information, not to work with you," he retaliated, taking a step toward his bedroom.

"Not like you're not doing a very good job with that either," she shot back. She stood and took a few cautious steps away from the couch. Kakashi for the most part seemed to ignore her, but she could sense him calculating how fast he could get in there and shut the door behind him,. "I'm starving and badly clothed."

"Poor thing," he drawled.

"The Hokage won't be happy to hear about this," she threatened, taking another step toward him.

"He won't?" he asked absently.

"Kakashi-sensei, if I'm going to be your prisoner here the least you could do is give me some food!"

"Help yourself to whatever is in the fridge," he offered kindly.

If she killed him now, how much effect would it have on her younger self's education? It wouldn't have been so annoying if she didn't so clearly sense the resentment he was sending her way.

"It's not my fault the Hokage ordered you to keep me around."

"Would he still have made the same choice had you gone to him first?" he denounced.

"What else was I supposed to do?"

Either he didn't know or didn't care. He took a step toward his room.

"I don't like this any more than you do, sensei!"

Sakura was becoming exceedingly irritated with his non-compliance. She understood perfectly Kakashi didn't want her around. He had been demonstrating that with great clarity. That's why she had given him a bit of time, and refrained from intruding in his room again once he had given her clothes, even though her stomach complained from a lack of nutrition the whole time. But she hadn't chosen to be here either, and she could only take so much of his grumbling attitude.

Kakashi appeared to have felt the increased tension in the younger woman's voice. His eyes became less remote and he turned himself away from his doorway and to her.

"I'm not your teacher," he said, a harsh edge to his voice.

"You _will_ be."

"It's not too late to change that."

There was a flash of hurt across her eyes, making Kakashi feel distinctly uneasy. Her voice took on a different tone when she next spoke.

"You won't have to worry about me long," her voice subdued. "I'll go back the second we figure ou-"

"What makes you so sure you're going back?" he cut her off roughly.

He hadn't been expecting her reaction, though he supposed he should have suspected it by how she looked at him after his last comment. Sakura looked like she'd been slapped, but the shock was quickly replaced by a look of reluctant acceptance. She turned around and took her seat, head looking down.

"You're right," she said weakly. "It's wrong of me to assume that it's even possible."

Now he'd done it. He had to go and open his mouth.

"I'm sorry," she whispered.

* * *

Maybe if she had just snapped back and become angry he wouldn't feel like such an ass, but she had to go and accept that he was right with that depressed look on her face. Had he been wrong to point out the obvious, or was she simply emotional?

But it wasn't just him suggesting the possibility she wouldn't return. The subtle reaction in her eyes when he commented on his teacher status had somehow been worse.

Kakashi had never liked sharing his space. It took people a while to figure out where he lived, and when they finally managed to track him down he didn't let them in anyway. Having this Haruno Sakura girl intrude in on his home was annoying, but almost even tolerable when you considered the nature of the situation. But her taking up shelter in his apartment was not the only issue. She was also invading in a more mental way by how at ease she was around him. Kakashi's status as an elite jonin earned him much respect from most shinobi, and some of the younger ones seemed to even revere him. It might have been the mask, or it could have been the hidden sharingan, but whatever it was, it took some folks a while to realize he wouldn't chew them out if they looked him in the eye. Maybe he had become _too_ used to that sort of treatment, because the ease with which she argued with and threatened him was bugging the hell out of him. It made it that much more difficult to act professionally around her. Not that he usually made many attempts to be professional regardless.

Was he so wrong to hate her guts?

"Would you consider invasion of property to be grounds for exhibiting irascible behavior?" Kakashi asked the cheery young man tending the counter.

"Uh... you mean trespassing, sir?" he smiled, stuffing Kakashi's goods into a bag. "I suppose you have a right to become angry. That's illegal."

"Not if the Hokage gives the green light."

"Then perhaps it's not trespassing?" he asked, his smile fading in confusion.

"Not in the legal sense, maybe. But I would still think it invasion of property."

"I'm... sorry, sir. I don't understand. Here's your change."

No more enlightened than when he first came in, Kakashi walked out of the convenience store, bag of food in hand. He had to do something about that empty fridge very soon, because his wallet couldn't take this kind of abuse.

Kakashi wasn't looking forward to going back to his apartment, but he couldn't starve her much longer. Hopefully there wouldn't be waterworks when he returned, but if worse came to worst maybe the food would distract her if she was hungry enough. He would drop it off and immediately head for the ANBU archives, before his conscience tried to kick in and make him feel worse.

When Kakashi walked in through the door Sakura was sitting in front of his refrigerator, the upper half of her body digging for something inside, and a multitude of plates, bowls, and containers spread out on the ground around her. She wasn't desperate enough to go for the mold, was she?

"There's nothing in there," he felt the need to remind her.

"I know," came her voice, head still invisible. "I'm throwing out everything you have in here before it starts growing legs."

No yelling, no crying, no hint of the chronic depression she seemed about to enter before he ran for it. Where was the gloom and misery?

She pulled herself out to reveal a dirty rag in her hands, which she held an arms length away. Her face wrenched up in agony as she eyed it with disgust.

"This is just revolting, Kakashi-sensei," she berated, holding it up for him to see.

"Why?"

"Because there's mold on it!" she answered, shaking the rag for emphasis.

"No, why are you cleaning the mold out of my refrigerator?"

"There's still more in there, if you really want to keep it. It shouldn't take long for it to cultivate again."

"Haruno!"

"I'm not just going to sit around here all day, and since you so kindly refused to allow me to work with you I'll just have to make tasks for myself," she answered, tossing the dirty rag into the sink.

She was doing this on purpose, just to make him feel worse.

"You don't have to do that," he said in what could almost be considered his soft voice.

Sakura blinked at him but didn't answer. She then redirected her attention to the bag in his hand. He sighed and walked over to her. He handed her the food, which she accepted with poorly concealed excitement before proclaiming that the dishes on the ground were now his problem. Sakura sat at the table and eagerly began her meal, happy that he'd thought to bring a can of tea. Drinking water was getting old.

Kakashi didn't understand. Without a doubt she had looked genuinely hurt before he left. He hadn't wanted to return because he had been sure there would be problems with his return. Except that rather than get mad she had turned to cleaning. Was she trying to cover up how she really felt? There was his conscience again, threatening to emerge. He had to get out of here before he did something stupid. Like apologize.

Sakura suddenly stopped eating when she felt Kakashi's eyes on her.

"What?" she demanded.

He looked at her for a second longer before moving his attention and himself to his room. Sakura sensed something was off though, and as expected, spoke before he crossed the doorway.

"I'm not mad," she stated, her back to him.

How did she know? Was he that obvious?

"I thought about it and there's no reason to be."

He waited for her to continue, but whatever her reasoning behind it, she was going to keep it to herself. Kakashi watched her continue eating for a moment longer, unsure of how to reply. Sakura resumed eating, now at a slightly slower pace.

"I'm heading for the ANBU archives to see what I can find," he finally said. Sakura turned around with a huge beam on her face, making him feel that much worse. She was more vulnerable than she looked. She was loud and demanding, but part of her toughness was only an act. All it had taken to make her happy was to know that he would begin working on her case.

He really was an insensitive brute.

* * *

Kakashi poked around the shelves of scrolls, unsure of where to start his search. Regrettably, the archives didn't contain a section with a big, large banner labeled time-travel.  
He walked around looking for any promising categories, and turned a corner to find Genma staring right at him.

"I knew that was you in here! I can sense your gloomy aura from a mile away," the senbon user greeted.

"How convenient for you. I, unfortunately, don't go through the same extensive efforts to keep track of you." Kakashi moved past him and resumed scanning the labels.

"Oh, it doesn't take any effort. You're just bursting with misery. What are you doing here, anyway? I thought you kicked yourself out of ANBU." Genma picked a scroll out of a pile and began scanning through it.

"I'm not in it for much longer. As soon as the Hokage signs the petition I should be out."

"Hmm," Genma hummed. Not what he was looking for, he placed the scroll back in the stack and pulled out another.

"I know he's putting it off on purpose. I requested leave weeks ago. The turn around time shouldn't be this long."

"You're one to complain about punctuality," grinned the older jonin. "But that sounds about right. I don't see why he would be eager to put one of the village prodigies off the roster."

"Maybe to preserve said prodigy's sanity?" Kakashi asked hopefully.

"I think it's too late for that."

"But _he_ doesn't know that," he protested. Kakashi turned another corner, leaving Genma to his own search.

"What are you down here for anyway?" he called.

"Work," supplied Kakashi.

"You're kidding," he deadpanned.

Kakashi coulud sense Genma waiting for more. "It's classified."

"So is everything else in ANBU."

Kakashi ignored him and took a look at a scroll about space-time ninjutsu. The title sounded promising, but the scroll itself contained very little information. He still had a couple more related ones to look at before he moved on.

"Well, _I'm_ here looking for patterns in recent disappearances," Genma said, walking over to a section behind the Copy Ninja.

"Disappearances?" Kakashi asked, now vaguely interested.

"Yeah. It seems people are going missing in steady numbers, and most of them concentrated in specific areas around the country."

"Have any of them been found?"

Genma shrugged. "A couple dead here and there, but their bodies are just barely recognizable. If this doesn't scream Orochimaru then I don't know what does," he frowned. "It's been happening simultaneously in opposite parts of the country which is why people are refusing to believe it's that bastard."

Of course. Orochimaru. It would have been too hopeful to think that the situation would be related to his own search. The information he was looking for wouldn't just be laid out in front of him.

"Why so interested? You're not looking into something similar, are you?" he asked hopefully. "If you are, tell me now, so I can leave it all to you and go do something more productive with my life."

"You're not getting out of this one."

"Tch." What a bummer. It'd worked for him in the past. "What are you researching, then?"

"Time travel."

Genma shook his head at Kakashi's antics. "Fine, don't tell me. But if I happen to run across anything of any use to you and never realize it, it's all on you."

The older jonin walked away with a couple of scrolls in hand that deserved more careful review. Meanwhile Kakashi had given up on the space-time scrolls. Most of them were descriptions of his late teacher's Hiraishin technique. He'd seen it enough times to know what it looked like, and the scrolls didn't even get into an explanation of how it actually worked. He continued his search and stopped at the kekkei genkai section, remembering both Sakura and Pakkun mentioning time-travel being a bloodline limit. He grabbed an armful of the scrolls and dumped them on a nearby table, which Genma just so happened to be using. Genma couldn't have more happily welcomed a distraction. He grabbed the nearest scroll Kakashi had set down and began reading.

"Bloodline limits? What more does anyone need to know about those?"

"How to replicate them," he said.

"Is that what you're looking for?"

"No." The idea was definitely a potential way to solve the mission, now that he thought about it, but people had been trying to do that for centuries to no avail.

Genma quickly lost interest and went back to his own work.

Information regarding kekkei genkai was fairly common use nowadays. With the Hyuuga's now and the Uchiha's in the past all prancing around the village, people inevitably picked up a thing or two about how it all worked. Most of the information in the scrolls seemed rather obvious. After a while he found an interesting one listing unconfirmed doujutsu limits. Apparently there was someone out there who could change people's eye color. How that was in any way useful was beyond him. Time travel was also there on the list. Had that guy used a doujutsu to send her back? Come to think of it he had never asked. Perhaps it would have been wise to ask for a detailed account before coming here.

Regardless, the scroll mentioned nothing outside of the jutsu's potential existence. There were no related cases listed or anything else that was even remotely helpful.

Finding nothing in the information he had picked out, Kakashi went back and took another armful, making sure to pick scrolls out from around the same date as the one that had mentioned the doujutsu. By the time he got through the entire kekkei genkai section Genma was long gone, having given up after waking up twice to scrolls colliding against his head. By the time he looked up Kakashi's nose was always buried in his reading, as if he honestly believed that would throw off suspicion.

It was getting late and he was getting tired. He would have to give it up for the night, and at the rate he had gone today, this was looking to be a very long mission.


	7. Prisoner

_A/N: I ran into a couple more time-travel fics recently, and they make my heart go aflutter. :) Please forgive the lack of action in this chapter. The plan was to combine this and the next chapter into one, but I'm splitting it in two since it's already taking me long enough to post. _

* * *

Rewrite

Prisoner

* * *

The group of mini wanna-be ninjas scurried around the Academy training area, shoving one another and throwing shuriken at tree stumps. The fact that most of them seemed to be pissed off at some person or another wasn't very reassuring. Someone was going to get hurt. Where were the Academy teachers to watch this? Why didn't they send these brats home before dark?

Kakashi spotted a single pink head in the group, his target for the night. The younger version of Haruno didn't seem as violent as some of the others, but she did seem to have a thing against blonds. It was quite understandable for the kid in orange. He wouldn't shut up. Kakashi hadn't the slightest idea of what was going on with the one in purple.

"That's not fair! The wind was blowing! I want another shot!" shouted Orange.

"The wind was in your favor, loser!"

"You're never going to get it right!"

"Why don't you just drop out, already?"

Harsh.

"I'm not moving from here until I get another turn!" he yelled, plopping himself firmly in front of the stump.

"Fine by me," sneered one of the kids, already taking aim at his head.

"Go ahead! See if you can touch me!" he called, pointing a thumb at the goggles on his head. From this angle Kakashi could now see it was the nine-tails kid. That explained all the animosity towards him.

"Naruto, get your ass away from the target!" yelled Purple.

"Yeah! Listen to the Pig!"

At this point the two snapped their heads to glare at each other. Kids these days had some serious killer intent.

"Do you think he's gonna live?" one of them asked curiously, munching on a bag of chips. He definitely looked like an Akimichi.

"Doesn't he always?" And that was Shikaku's clone.

The sneering kid positioned himself to throw. Orange made no sign of moving, eyes squinted and chin held up high. Suddenly the others didn't find the whole ordeal too amusing.

"Leave him alone, he's not worth it," said one of them, throwing the jinchuuriki a cold glare and trying to steer the other boy away.

"What, you chickening out?" he taunted, not budging.

"Naruto, move!" The mini-Haruno ordered again.

"I'll teach this loser to stop messing with our practices!"

"C'mon, Kei, this isn't funny anymore. We can leave him here and practice at my place."

The brat's sneer became even fouler. The Naruto kid held his ground, with apparently no sense of self-preservation. Now the entire group was yelling at him to move, most likely out of worry for the trouble they would get into if he was hurt, as opposed to actual concern for his life. Two of the kids kept tugging at the other boy's sleeves, but he shrugged them off.

Then he threw the shuriken, straight at Naruto's face.

This kind of disrespect for shinobi code was exactly why he failed so many genin. He could go down there now and destroy every hope that brat had ever held onto of becoming a ninja. Intimidation worked nicely with these types, but it was too late now that Umino Iruka had made his arrival.

The man's figure appeared in front of the blond, and he flung the weapon to the side. He looked _very _pissed off.

"Run!" yelled one of them.

Only a couple of them shot off, but Iruka had already gotten a good look at their faces. The rest stayed put, some yelling out explanations, others looking slightly guilty. The pink one at least had sense enough to look shocked. Kakashi ran off before he was noticed.

* * *

He had expected that she would be excited about his return, and that she would immediately want to know what he had learned and how the prospects looked on her going back home. But instead she looked guilty.

Whatever she had done, it had something to do with whatever she was concealing under that couch pillow on her lap.

"Pakkun," he called, voice demanding an explanation.

"She stole a book," he stated, betraying her with ease. Kakashi's heart shot up to his throat.

"Thanks," Sakura said. "Remind me never to tell _you _a secret."

She removed the pillow from her lap to reveal an old paperback underneath, and the older jonin's heart returned to its regular position. Thank the heavens she hadn't touched Icha Icha!

"What are you doing with that?" he commanded. But this bit of anger was nothing compared to what would have happened had that book had an orange cover.

"Making origami with the pages, of course."

She had been much more likeable earlier in the day before he left, cleaning out his refrigerator and all. Now she was stealing his stuff and making her sarcastic remarks again, something only few people could get away with even after knowing him for years.

Perhaps he could restore the harmony by tying her up in a corner somewhere.

Sakura was reacting to the undoubtedly aggravated look in Kakashi's eye when she said, "I didn't touch anything, I swear!" she defended, mistaking the look for anger at having entered his room. Now that he thought about it, that was also a problem he needed to consider. "I grabbed the first thing that didn't look like porn and ran back out."

"Where were you to stop this?" he asked Pakkun.

"It was before I got here. But I think she's telling the truth. There's not enough of a scent in your room for her ta have been there long," he explained.

"It's not Pakkun's fault. It's not like he's big enough to have stopped me even if he'd been here."

"Hey!" he yipped.

"No offense," Sakura offered kindly. Pakkun wasn't appeased.

Kakashi sighed, but he was reasonable enough to see there was no damage done. Most unfortunately, she was human, too, and it was understandable for her to become bored without anything to do for extended periods of time. He ran a hand over his face tiredly.

Taking advantage of her opportunity, Sakura changed the subject. "Did you learn anything?"

"I looked through the entire kekkai genkai archives, but time-jutsu were only mentioned in passing. I'll report to the Hokage tomorrow and figure out the next step."

He looked up to see her face had completely fallen, the usual, annoying animated look in her eyes gone. Again, it made him feel a bit guilty at the teacher comment he had made earlier that day.

"Pakkun, I'm going to need you to come in again tomorrow."

Sakura snorted. The poor dog had better things to do than pretend to babysit her.

"Do you want me ta stay the night again?"

Kakashi shrugged. The true answer was yes, but he respected the ninken's likely wish to go home.

The pug stood up and stretched himself before scratching the back of his ear. Kakashi dejectedly understood that it meant he was leaving.

"Alright, then. Just gimme a call when ya want me."

Then he was gone, leaving the two jonin alone. Sakura stared at Kakashi. He looked everywhere but at her.

"How long does it look like I'll be here?" she asked, knowing perfectly well that her guess was as good as his.

He shrugged, feeling uncomfortable. He didn't like the pleading look she was giving him. It wasn't like he had the ability to magically make everything better.

"There's no way to say at this point." Kakashi walked into the kitchen, knowing full well there was nothing there, but unable to help himself from scrummaging around. After two doors he gave up, and walked back out to where the depressed aura was emanating. "For the time being you can wash your clothes downstairs," he offered, feeling in a generous mood.

And then her guilty expression returned. Sakura tried to smother it and look him in the eye, but her eyes betrayed her and flashed to where her freshly folded clothes lay.

Why wasn't he surprised?

"Right."

Pause.

"I'll go find food."

Kakashi spun around toward the door, ready to get the hell away from the nuisance.

"Can I come?" Sakura asked, already getting up.

"We can't risk you being seen."

Sakura sunk back into her seat with a groan and buried her face in her hands in frustration. The Hokage had ordered her to lay low, and there was no arguing with that.

Kakashi had stories about people being confined within a small area with nothing to do and no access to the outside world. They didn't have happy endings. Kakashi himself had lost much of his sanity in similar situations. He had very little of it left, and if this girl was to lose hers as well while living here...

"Actually, I think I'll go see the Hokage right now."

That reanimated Sakura, but she still looked a bit doubtful. "Isn't it kind of late? Is he in?"

"He will be," he muttered darkly.

That worked for her.

"Ok, I'll go get ready," she said, already making her way to the restroom where her freshly washed clothes awaited.

"I didn't say you could go," he said.

"If you leave without me I'll just catch up later," she chirped, closing the door behind her.

Kakashi promptly walked out of the apartment, slamming the door behind him. He was disappointed to find that one, that didn't make her go noticeably faster, and that two, she knew exactly where to find him when she was done.

"Alright, I'm ready!"

They both shot off to the tower, the older jonin trying his best to keep her a good distance behind.

It wasn't working.

"You look about the same, you know?" Sakura began conversationally. "Slightly younger maybe, but it's kind of hard to tell with that thing on your face. The only reason I'm sure you're not the fifty year old Kakashi I know is because you have a lot less wrinkles."

For the next few seconds all Sakura heard was the blowing wind and their steps on the rooftops of Konoha.

"What do you do with all your free time now, since you don't have a genin team?"

More footsteps.

"Hey, Kakashi-sensei!"

"That's irrelevant to the current mission."

"So?" The distance between them increased, only making Sakura push faster. "Fine, if you're not feeling talkative how about yes or no questions?"

Wind.

"Ok, that's a yes. Next question. Is your refrigerator always that empty?" When he didn't reply she answered the question herself. "That's a no, of course. There _were _signs of past life in there. Does that mean you cook a lot?"

It was hard to tell with the wind rushing past her years, but Sakura thought she heard him sigh. After some silence, he finally muttered a "No."

That seemed to stump Sakura for a bit.

"Wait, you're not telling me you eat that instant stuff then, are you?"

"Yes."

"But that's not real food!" How did he manage to stay healthy? No wonder his recovery periods were always so long. The man was getting no nutrients! "How have you survived?"

Kakashi didn't reply.

"Do you at least cook _sometimes_?"

"Yes."

"Are you any good at it?"

Silence.

"You have to be consistent here, sensei! You can't just pick and choose which questions you answer!"

The distance between them increased again, but she was right beside him soon enough anyway.

"Do you eat out often?"

"Maybe."

"That's not on our list of acceptable answers."

A split second later came the familiar pop of a clone being dismissed, and Kakashi disappeared right before her eyes.

"Damn it, Kakashi!" she yelled into the night, drawing attention from a few of the villagers in the streets below.

Sakura was at the tower in no time. She headed straight for the window of the Hokage's office, not in the mood to deal with clerks, assistants, and crappy security. Kakashi was already in there, and the Third was opening the window for her. He looked slightly irritated and he wasn't wearing his hat. That screamed "off-duty" to Sakura. How Kakashi had gotten him in there so fast was beyond her. She scrambled behind Kakashi and assumed a formal stance.

"Hokage-sama, my apologies for summoning you here so late, but I've learned something important about Haruno Sakura's situation."

The Third wasn't buying any of it, particularly the apology. And hadn't he already addressed this case this morning? What was so important that it required a second meeting that same day?

"Well, what is it?" the Third prompted when Kakashi didn't immediately reveal his knowledge.

"I've learned that we know nothing on the matter," The Third stared at him passively, not the least bit impressed by this fabulous revelation that had forced him back to work. "As of now there are no useful leads for the case, and absolutely no way of getting her back."

Sakura looked at Kakashi as if he had just challenged the old man to a duel for his title.

The Third sat behind his desk and laced his fingers together. He closed his eyes as he thought of what to say.

"I suppose we knew this from the start..."

Now the female jonin looked at the Hokage as if he had accepted Kakashi's challenge. This was the first time she heard any of this!

"But that's not what you said earlier. You said you didn't know how long it'd be!" Sakura began, feeling worry at her pit for the umpteenth time.

"I don't," Kakashi replied.

"But you at least knew it wouldn't be a couple of days!"

"Haruno," he said softly, back still to her. It was an indirect order to calm down.

Sakura shut her mouth, now painfully aware of how the Third quietly observed them. She clenched her fists at her sides, a multitude of uneasy feelings crowding in her chest. She was placing the utmost faith in Kakashi and the Third. Though she worried what would become of her, at some level she had been feeling a calm assurance that all would be fine. But perhaps on some level she was wrong to have such a degree of confidence for something so serious.

"Sakura," began the Third. "This is not to say there is no way of ensuring your return. We are merely expressing that with our present knowledge it is not possible to predict over how much time the situation will elapse."

Sakura bit her lip and stared at the Hokage. Did he really think there was still a chance? Or was this just to placate her? She nodded, not necessarily to express her agreement or understanding, but more as a way of letting him know she would keep her mouth shut for now. Satisfied, he turned back to Kakashi.

"I have not had much time to do searching of my own, but I did find this," he said, handing the jonin a scroll. He began scanning through it as the Hokage briefed him on the information.

"The information is limited. It happened a few years after the founding of the village. A civilian man wandered around with claims of coming from a century into the past. An Ueda family was involved with the case, but claimed no association with the man. Perhaps tracking down descendants of the family will prove of some use, though any useful information may have been long forgotten."

"What became of him?" Kakashi asked, closing the scroll.

"I have not been able to locate further records of his case," the Third replied. "This information alone is likely of minimal use, but perhaps a family myth has survived that might help guide you."

_Or maybe not_, Sakura thought. It was all just a wild goose chase while the Hokage figured out what to do with her on a more permanent basis.

"I will attempt to see what I can learn from another shinobi nations. Unfortunately, requesting such information up front will not be seen favorably. This task will require the use of more creative means. I will keep you informed of any progress."

At this point the proper response would have been for the two to nod and go back home, but instead the Third found Kakashi staring at him, and Sakura staring at Kakashi pulling on his ear.

"Hokage-sama?"

"Kakashi?"

"Is it absolutely necessary to keep her completely out of sight?"

Sakura blinked at his back. So he _wasn't _completely oblivious to her misery.

"I'm afraid we do not know how her actions might affect our time, or even her own. It is best to keep interaction with others at a minimum."

Kakashi scratched the back of his head, trying to figure out the best way to get the Hokage to concede. Sakura took a step towards Kakashi, as if her small action would help.

"It's her third day here and the world hasn't exploded yet. So perhaps a bit more exposure is fine?"

The Third joined his hands and placed his chin on top of them, waiting for more.

"I mean, keeping her locked up with me is as good as putting her in prison."

Sakura frowned. _I bet that's what you're angling for_.

The Third frowned in thought. There was silence, and Sakura felt compelled to hold her breath until his next words. Kakashi did not see the situation in the same light, as demonstrated by his imprudent cracking of his neck.

"Perhaps keeping her out of sight is excessively cautious on our part."

Kakashi cocked his head to ask for a more specific answer.

"Very well, then. I will allow you to move about at both of your discretions, but keep interaction limited," he said, the last part directed at Sakura. "Particularly those close to you."

Sakura gaped. "Seriously?" she squeaked. Well, that had been awfully simple. Why no one had thought to ask for her freedom earlier was beyond her.

"Kakashi, be sure to keep an eye out when she's not home."

Other than the slight deepening of his hunch, his disappointment was not completely obvious.

"I will continue doing what I can from my end. In the meantime, keep searching the archives."

The entire mission seemed to have a theme of Sakura wandering around with Kakashi running right after her. The process did not seem the most efficient.

"What can I do?" she asked.

"It is best for your involvement to be limited at this time. We cannot have you become too involved in the shinobi facilities out of the blue without arousing attention. I assume you have given Kakashi all the details he may require to work on his own?"

The first time she had told him the story he hadn't really been listening. Since then their interaction had been kept to a minimum, only enough for Sakura to ask for the essentials and to pester him enough to keep herself sane. It was his fault that they hadn't talked about anything at all. As such, she directed an accusing glare at the jonin's back. Caring little about what Sakura was doing and more concerned about effectively hiding his thoughts from the Third, Kakashi redirected his gaze up to the ceiling.

"I have a general idea of what happened," he said defensively.

The Third sighed. "It is necessary that you two collaborate if your task is to succeed."

Sakura smirked. She was the good kid here.

"Now get out of my office."


	8. Soup

_A/N: No, I'm not leaving the story. I'm just slow. _

* * *

Rewrite

Soup

* * *

"You probably misheard."

"I did _not _mishear!" she exclaimed, slamming the table with her free hand. "Even you didn't deny it! Instead you sprouted some crap about four and five starting with the same letter."

Kakashi considered this. "It's true."

Sakura sighed and eased back into her seat. He wasn't worth it. She took another dumpling.

He had asked to listen to her story in detail, but rather than listen quietly and keep his ears open for any information useful for his investigation, he chose instead to criticize each of Team Seven's actions that night one by one, as if that would reverse the outcome and send her away. He didn't seem to understand that he himself was part of that team.

"Well? What happened once he grabbed you?"

The female jonin took a breath and released it, all the while chewing on the store-brought brunch.

"For the first second, nothing," she explained after a moment. "Then I lost all feeling. Not in the numb sort of way. It was more like there was nothing there."

She looked down at the plate between them. It had one less dumpling than it had four seconds ago, and she hadn't been the one to take it. She looked up at Kakashi. His mask was suspiciously lopsided.

"And I couldn't move," she finished.

Kakashi turned to look out the window. So far the information wasn't pointing anywhere useful.

"Naruto tried to go back with me, but you held him back. Sasuke... he was pissed."

"But the target didn't get away?" he asked, still staring outside.

"Of course not!" she defended, offended at Kakashi's mistrust of her team's competence. "Sasuke was on him in an instant. He would have ripped Ryou's throat out if he imagined it'd be helpful."

She pulled another dumpling toward herself.

"I blacked out after that. But I know all three of them - you," she paused to wave a hand in his direction, reminding him of his involvement in the event. "Everyone's working to find a way to help me back."

Kakashi nearly smiled behind his mask. Her tone was that of utmost confidence. The idea of him ever passing a group of genin seemed incomprehensible to him, but if he was doomed for it to happen, it made sense that they would be the kind of students to put this much faith in their teammates.

But it was also possible that she was just hopelessly optimistic.

Sakura bit into her food. She knew this Kakashi did not like her, but thinking back to the team leader who knew her and accepted her was reassuring. When he had all but threatened the previous day not to be her teacher if he could at all help it, the idea had hit her like a slap in the face. But as she had later told him, she realized she had no reason to be mad. There was no way in hell he would ever let her down, not after all those lectures he had given on the importance of valuing one's teammates. Even if the man sitting before her didn't come through, and even if he hated her guts, she knew her boys back home were doing all they could to help her return.

As nice as it was thinking about that, it also served to bring Sakura more worry. She could only imagine how panicked they were and how much they were beating themselves up over this.

"You're probably kicking yourself right about now," Sakura mused aloud, not oblivious to the technically incorrect tense use.

Kakashi snuck another dumpling under his mask.

Sakura stretched out on her chair and looked up at the ceiling. She needed to work, run, train. Anything that was outside the walls of this apartment.

"You should have tied him up when you had the chance," Kakashi chided.

"Naruto and Sasuke had already beat the crap out of him when we got there. He was laying on the ground wriggling like some noodle. None of us expected he would have any energy left."

"Regardless," he insisted. There was no excuse. He should have been detained. It was standard mission policy.

"He was just a pushover who got lucky," Saukra frowned.

"Cases like these demonstrate precisely why you never let your guard down on a mission."

"You seem to be forgetting you're one of the four people who did," she bit back. "You're not completely innocent, either."

It was Kakashi's turn to frown. His skills would deteriorate in coming years...

"I say we blame this all on the Hokage," Sakura said, extending the idea as a peace offering. "We weren't ready for another mission."

She had already mentioned the part about them having fresh-arrived from Suna.

"Why wasn't a different team sent out?"

Sakura laughed at that. "I'm pretty sure the Fifth was more concerned about getting to bed than finding anyone better."

She pushed herself up straight.

"If you knew the Hokage you'd understand," she nodded wisely. Nothing like having the upper hand over Kakashi using knowledge from the future.

Her smile faded with the mentioned of her mentor. What was she thinking, now that Sakura had disappeared? Did she blame herself?

Kakashi interrupted her before she could fully board that train of thought.

"It's Tsunade, isn't it?"

Sakura blinked rapidly at him for a full second. This was the part where she would be devoured into a black hole for bringing back knowledge from the future and messing around with the unspoken rules of time.

"I didn't say that," she said quickly.

"But you did," he said, surprisingly sounding like he didn't care either way. "During the healing two nights ago. You said the Hokage _herself _had trained you."

And that was all the information he needed. There were not many kunoichi in the village in this time period who could even be considered for such a position, much less ones that were specifically medics.

Sakura let her head smash into the table.

"Did I just break some otherworldly and eternal time-travelling law?" she mumbled into the table.

Kakashi shrugged. "You're probably breaking one just being here."

She peeked up enough to ask, "Is there anything else I let slip?"

He shrugged again.

Chin on the table, Sakura poked at the remaining food, wondering if sharing more knowledge of what was to come would truly negatively affect how events played out. Kakashi now knew who the Third's successor would be, and everyone was still in one piece. The Third, Sasuke, Pein... she could potentially change all of this.

"Before he touched you," Kakashi began, changing back the subject. "What were you all doing that no one noticed him getting ready to attack?"

Indirectly, what he was really asking was why he was being dishonored with her presence. Sakura answered him anyway.

"Naruto and Sasuke were arguing over who had done what during their fight," she mumbled, poking at the last dumpling with her chopstick. "You were listening to them, and I yelled at them to shut up. That was when he grabbed me, like his strength had come back all of a sudden. He said something melodramatic like 'it's begun'," she imitated his voice here. "And that's when I lost mobility."

Kakashi looked thoughtful for a moment. With equal thoughtfulness, Sakura pierced the dumpling through its side.

"It almost sounds like he planned this out," he said carefully. "If he regained his strength in an instant as you say, he may have only staged his defeat."

That was a strange, new idea to Sakura. He _had _recuperated too quickly for it to be true.

"What he said at the end also sounds like he may have had plans for you from the start."

"You mean I was being targeted?"

"It's possible," he said, fist on chin, now completely in strategic-thinking mode. "Why else would he have needed to make himself appear defeated?"

That didn't sound realistic to her.

"Why would anyone want to come after _me_?" she asked. Naruto the jinchuuriki, Sasuke the now truly last Uchiha, and Kakashi the Copy Ninja. They all had reason to be sought after. Why would anyone want her?

"You were the Hokage's apprentice, weren't you? That has to count for something."

Sakura didn't look convinced. "I don't know..."

"At any rate, that man had something on his mind if he was willing to risk being captured after his attack."

They each silently worked through the idea, wondering how they could utilize this information.

"Which village was he from?" Kakashi asked.

"I'm not sure he was affiliated with anyone. He had no headband or anything that distinguished him from anywhere."

"A mercenary?" he offered.

"Maybe."

"You said it was called time-jumping?"

"That's what the Hokage called it," she confirmed with a shrug. "There was nothing jump-like about it to me, though. I just blinked then woke up in the middle of the forest."

He considered this. Then, deciding there was nothing more to say, he pushed his chair away from the table and stood.

"I'll see what I can find with this information," he told her.

"Are you leaving?" she asked.

"I need to check if this guy's name comes up in any other cases. I also need to check the term time-jump."

He turned away from her.

"Wait," she said. "Do I have to stay here?"

"You need to be ANBU to access the Intelligence Division's files," he said, correctly interpreting her wish to follow.

"How long will it take you? Can we go find me something to wear when you get back?"

If she had to stay locked in here all day again someone was going to get hurt.

The older jonin turned slightly to look at her sideways.

"Why?" he asked, quite unnecessarily.

"Please?"

He seemed to think about it for a minute. Then he turned around without a word.

"You don't really expect me to wear your ugly, old clothes for as long as I'm here," she pleaded.

"We'll see," he answered, heading to his room.

Sakura slumped back into her seat, hopeful that he would come back in a better mood. She reached for her chopsticks to finish up the last remaining, disfigured food item, but it was nowhere to be found.

"You took the last dumpling!" she cried.

"You criticized my fashion sense," he responded, closing the door behind him.

He blocked the sounds of her fuming out of his mind. There were more pressing issues at hand. Had he really had a hand in failing to prevent this from happening? If part of this mess was really because of his own failures, he would make a point of going back with the girl when this was all over, and he would kill his future self nice and slowly.

At least he wouldn't have to worry about dying in enemy hands.

* * *

The red chakra oozed from the young man. His breathing had become heavier, and his eyes carried a hint of madness that was by no standards human. Just looking at him sent an icy shiver crawling up Ryou's spine. Sasuke finished binding him up with chakra wires, taking special care to pull more harshly than necessary. He pushed him down to the ground with enough severity to make him cry out in pain.

"What did you do to her?" Naruto commanded, stepping over the man's body.

Ryou did not respond, his quickened breathing the only indication that he understood the level of danger he had placed himself in.

"Answer him!" Sasuke demanded, pulling him back up by the scruff of his shirt.

Kakashi stopped staring at the spot where Sakura had vanished and stepped over to the three men's location. He pulled Ryou away from Sasuke and toward himself.

"Where is she?" he asked, voice dangerously collected.

"Th-the past," Ryou gasped. "I only sent her to the past-"

Kakashi pushed him back into the ground.

"You should have let me go with her!" Naruto growled, attention now focused on his team leader.

"You are more useful to Sakura here-"

"Fuck being useful!" Naruto yelled. "You let her disappear right in front of our eyes!"

The jonin knew arguing was pointless. He would have in fact preferred not to reply. But as their leader he had certain responsibilities, and one of them included making sure this boy understood that he had _not abandoned _her.

"Think, Naruto," he began. "This is going to be difficult enough with only-"

The jinchuuriki made it clear that he didn't care to hear the man's excuses. He bent down and struck the ground with a clawed hand, creating a large, deep fissure in the ground. Ryou squirmed, all the boldness he had displayed when attacking Sakura gone. All the signs of an impending transformation shone in Uzumaki Naruto's eyes. He regarded the older jonin dangerously, looking ready to attack.

The first punch came from elsewhere. Sasuke struck his teammate out of the blue, causing Naruto to stumble. In under an instant he snapped back upright, fist raised, ready to strike right back, but froze it midair upon catching sight of his friend.

"Control yourself," Sasuke said simply, poised for another attack.

Kakashi's hand hovered right over his weapons pouch. The Kyuubi chakra sealing tag Jiraiya had prepared for a case like this had been used long ago. Kakashi had developed his own version of the seal, but his fuuinjutsu abilities did not compare to that of the Sannin's. If it came down to using it, his cheap imitation would only have enough power to give him and Sasuke some seconds to run.

Luckily it wouldn't be necessary. The blow had been enough to knock sense back into him. The Kyuubi's chakra receded, Naruto's eyes returning to normal. But the anger remained. As far as the Fourth Hokage's son was concerned, Kakashi and Sasuke had each let Sakura down tonight. He turned his back to the group, stomping through the clearing in anger, frustration, and pain.

Kakashi could only watch Naruto's back, seeing him stop to yell at the tops of his lungs in anguish. He knew that outside of getting Sakura back, there was nothing he could do to ease Naruto's torment. But he just had to understand that he couldn't have gone with her.

"We need to interrogate him," said Sasuke.

Ryou whimpered in the background.

"I'll do it," Kakashi growled.

* * *

What good was the investigations unit if their entire library didn't hold a single scrap of worthwhile information?

No Ryou, no time jumping, no nothing. He would have to check with the lead the Hokage had mentioned, with the family who had been involved in the last recorded time incident. He had absolutely nothing else to go on. He was reluctant to go back empty handed, but there was no point in staying here.

On his way home Kakashi considered checking on the younger girl again, but decided there was little to gain from it. The previous day he had done it as his way of confirming that she showed no signs of being a crazed murderer. However, there had been plenty of opportunities for her to make her move, none of which she had taken advantage of, leading Kakashi to the conclusion that perhaps he should finally admit she was really who she claimed. He also had to trust Pakkun's judgement, who had no issue with the girl. Quite the opposite, in fact.

Of course it would be on the same day he decided this that she would decide to make her move. When he entered the apartment she was gone.

Kakashi's senses flared up. Her lingering scent on the couch suddenly became noticeable, and he could hear the pacing of Old Lady Tanaka next door, muttering incoherently under her breath. His site became sharper, but he didn't need that to know she wasn't there. Kakashi immediately let his chakra seep into the floorboards as he began searching for any traces of her last footsteps. His mind quickly began tracking nearby chakra signatures that might belong to her. She couldn't have gone far. He had sent Pakkun to watch her, and with any luck the pug had probably left trail markers for him to follo-

There.

He dashed out the door and down to the first floor of the complex, pushing his legs using every ounce of strength he had ever accumulated as a shinobi. Nearly there, he began analyzing the chakra ahead of him to prepare himself for what he would find in the room before him.

With a final burst of unnecessarily wasted energy, he threw the door open.

Pakkun blinked at him once before turning his head back to Sakura.

"You owe me some biscuits," he stated. "I like the lamb flavored ones."

"Nuh uh!" Sakura complained. "I said he'd overreact! He ripped the door a new one, so I say this qualifies!"

"But you neglected ta mention that-"

"Pakkun!" Kakashi barked.

The pug blinked again in half a flinch, but otherwise showed little reaction. He was going to get it later...

Sakura clicked her tongue.

"What are you two doing down here?" he demanded.

"Laundry," she said, wisely keeping any defiant tones out of her voice.

Kakashi let the word register for a minute. Laundry. Of course. What else would they be doing in the _laundry _room? Perhaps he should have gathered that much information the moment he realized she was still within the building.

His sudden rage dissipated. He was out of sorts.

"Again?"

"I dirtied those clothes yesterday."

"It couldn't have waited until I returned?"

"_Why?_" She did not need his supervision to wash her single set of clothes.

He stared at her for a second. Without a reply, Kakashi disappeared back upstairs.

Knowing he would have a few minutes alone for the first time in days, Kakashi slowly made his way up the steps with gloomy enthusiasm. Habit dictated he dump himself on the couch, but recalling this was where the intruder was staying, he sluggishly redirected himself to his bed. He was beginning to feel as confined as her.

So maybe he had overreacted. Despite consciously making an attempt to accept her innocence, more than likely his subconscious was hard at work, just waiting for her to make a wrong move. Unfortunately, she seemed to have no plans to betray anyone. Hewas the one betraying himself by not living up to his standards, letting his unfavorable emotions towards her affect his actions.

It was difficult for the jonin to pinpoint precisely what bothered him so much about her. He had done a better job that morning of tolerating her, but there was still something off. Naturally having someone forced upon him contributed to his aversion, but as a mission he should have been capable of sucking up his irritation and approaching it professionally.

It was really entirely her fault. The girl was too comfortable around him. That wasn't to say others who worked under him were necessarily always tense and stiff when near him, but there was some sort of barrier present that allowed him to keep his distance. She overdid her level of comfort to the point where she had no qualms with insulting and mocking him. And yet, it wasn't done with contempt or any apparent feeling of superiority. She was almost friendly, in her own twisted way. He could almost, just almost, sense that there was _some _respect there towards him, but if that was the case why didn't she just keep quiet and out of the way like all the others?

Not wanting to allow for the girl to go as far as to infiltrate his thoughts, he pushed her out of his mind and focused his attention on the fascinating nothingness the walls had to offer.

The fifteen minutes it took her to finish up flew by all too fast, and she was soon back in the oversized shirt and rolled up pants, Pakkun at her heels.

"Kakashi-sensei?"

He glanced at her shape in the doorway but didn't move.

"I had to get Pakkun to get some coins for me out of your room again. I hope you don't mind..."

It was precisely things like this that demonstrated that she took him into consideration when making decisions about how to steal his possessions. He knew she could have just walked into the room and taken them herself.

"It seemed like a reasonable request," Pakkun said. Kakashi gave him a half-hearted glare. "If it really bothers you, feel free ta take it outta my food budget."

He was only offering because he knew Kakashi wouldn't do it.

"It doesn't matter," the jonin said, waving the matter aside.

There were no further signs of him acknowledging her presence.

"Sensei...?"

No matter how much you ignored her, she just wouldn't go away.

"About my clothes..." she started.

"Is there some reason why I should agree to take you?" he questioned.

"Why not out of the goodness of your heart?" she asked hopefully.

Kakashi sat up on his bed and looked at her harshly. Clearly his heart had no goodness.

"I can pay you back with house chores," she offered carefully.

"Don't touch anything." Kakashi grounded.

"Then what else do you expect me to do?"

Kakashi eyed her carefully. For a second he hesitated, unsure whether or not opening his mouth would be worth it.

"I'm unsure of whether or not I'll be receiving any missions in addition to this one," he told her. Sakura waited to see how this was in any way related to the matter at hand. "But if any sort of breakthrough takes as long as I think it will, it's likely the Third will place me back on the regular mission roster."

Sakura still didn't get it.

"If that's the case, putting up with you on top of dealing with mission injuries and hospitals will be unforgivable," Kakashi continued.

Now she was beginning to get where this was going.

"Your healing job last time was surprisingly decent."

She was honored that he had recognized her abilities, but the 'surprisingly decent' part was insulting.

Knowing he would never finish asking directly, Sakura responded. "I can take care of that. I'll trade you my abilities for a chance to get the hell out of here."

Kakashi regarded her carefully, appearing to consider the terms of the arrangement, as though he had not been the one to suggest the very thought. A moment past where Sakura considered just leaving without him, but then he stuck a fist out at her, his thumb pointing out to the side. Was this some sort of cheesy way to seal the deal?

When Sakura stared at his hand dumbly, he raised his arm higher to place his injury closer to her view. That's when Sakura saw the light cuts on it, probably from his having summoned Pakkun so often these past few days.

Sakura took a couple steps into the room and hovered a hand over the minor cuts. This was one of his more ridiculous healing requests, but she wasn't going to voice that aloud.

"This means we're going, right?" she confirmed.

Pakkun turned his eyes away from the glow of Sakura's chakra to look at Kakashi as well.

"Do I have to go with ya?" he asked. It wasn't that he didn't like Sakura, but he really had much better things to do than follow her around.

"Hm," was his noncommital response for the both.

The small cuts healed fast, and just as Sakura was about to declare the process done, Kakashi pulled away to inspect her work. She watched as he pushed and pulled at the thumb, testing the thoroughness of the job.

"Well?" Sakura prompted. Was His Majesty satisfied?

Kakashi set his hand on his knee and stared down at it. With depressed slowness his slouch deepened, nearly unnoticeable. To Sakura, that expressed a distraught acceptance to what he needed to do. She stepped out of the room and shot off to change.

The older jonin let himself fall sideways and landed on his pillow with a thump. Pakkun jumped on the bed, hopped onto his chest, and stared directly into his owner's eyes.

"Do you need something?" he asked, after an extended silence.

"I want to go home," said the ninken.

"Do you find being in my presence that offensive?" he frowned.

"Yes." Pakkun replied simply.

"I see."

When he said nothing more, Pakkun placed his paws on the jonin's chin to look at him more closely.

"Stop moping," the dog encouraged. "Doing this isn't gonna kill ya."

"I'm not moping," he brooded.

"She hasn't done anything too terrible yet, has she? No one's asking ya to mate with her, just to keep her alive."

Kakashi glared at him. "She fed you, didn't she?"

Pakkun blinked. "Call me if you need anything."

He disappeared with a pop, leaving Kakashi to stare at the ceiling.

What next? With this trip for a simple search of clothes, the girl would begin to settle in. The Intelligence Division's scrolls were doing nothing for him, and if the lead the Third had given him led nowhere, he would come to a dead-end. Meanwhile, the Hokage sat comfortably behind his desk, understanding the mission was likely to go nowhere anytime soon, and yet was perfectly content to let Kakashi's freedom wither away before him.

They didn't pay him enough for this.

Deciding it was about time she finished up, Kakashi pushed himself off the mattress and hauled himself out of the room.

"Haruno," he called.

There was no response, but she emerged a few seconds after.

His back was to her when she emerged. Kakashi headed to his doom with two unhurried steps, but there was no sound behind him. He looked over his shoulder to see her eyes fixed on him, upset.

"My name is Sakura," she informed him.

"Yes," he responded, turning his attention forward again. "It is."

Sakura frowned but said nothing.

The two jonin hit the rooftops and made for the shopping district.

"Finish up within an hour," Kakashi called through the wind.

The kunoichi's eyes widened. An hour? There was no way he was going to limit her to only sixty minutes outside that hell-hole. She wasn't a prisoner, despite what he liked to think.

"Okay," she said, with no intention of following orders. "Did you learn anything at the archives?"

The answer was most likely no, but she still felt the need to ask.

"No," he debriefed in great detail.

"Oh," she responded with equal enthusiasm.

The rest of the trip was quiet, save the sound of the villagers below. Sakura took the opportunity to enjoy the scenery. She had always considered Konoha to be a beautiful place. After being locked up for extended periods of time it seemed even more so, so she greedily drank in the sights.

They were nearing the center of the district when Kakashi came to a sudden stop. His stance indicated he didn't know where to go from there, so Sakura took the lead. The Motokaya shop was in sight, and so was her freedom from Kakashi's baggy pants. With a beaming smile and some quick words to Kakashi, she dashed inside.

The place looked the same as always, down to the old, mistreated mannequin in the back corner of the shop. It wasn't a particularly large store, but it offered enough variety to keep its customers interested. The best part was that clothing here was both stylish enough for being inside the village, yet durable enough for missions. And if Ino disagreed, that was totally her problem.

Sakura browsed excitedly, dismissing any assistants who offered their help. But her excitement quickly dwindled as she remembered she was here on business and not pleasure. She would have to be practical with what she bought. It was disheartening, but Sakura was still determined to enjoy her momentary freedom. This trip was a nice distraction from living in Kakashi's cave.

After some more idle looking, guilt took over when she spotted Kakashi slumping against the window, looking beat down and tormented. Sakura could almost see the raincloud hanging over his head.

Somehow shopping wasn't all that fun when it was at the expense of her teacher's mental health.

The kunoichi grabbed whatever looked familiar. There was no sense in getting used to a completely new set of clothing, she thought, so she set upon searching for whatever resembled her usual style. She set her findings to the side, and proceeded to go find her team leader to procure a means of payment.

"I'm done!" she proudly announced.

He didn't seem particularly excited. "Let's go," he said, pushing himself off the building.

"But..." Sakura paused, confused. "I need to pay."

With a deliberate slowness that would have made any other shinobi run for safety, Kakashi turned his head to look Sakura square in the eye.

She hesitated. "I... thought you were going to cover it?"

His eyes narrowed, and he stared.

"It's not like I was carrying money on me," she defended. "If I had any I wouldn't have had to wait for you to bring me out here."

His eyes burned into her head, expressing a complete disinterest in her excuses.

"I'll pay you back in six years," she quickly offered.

"Every cent. You will pay me back _each_ and _every_cent," he proclaimed, pushing past her into the store.

"Of course!" she responded, following after him.

"And there will be interest."

They could negotiate the specifics later.

* * *

It took a lot longer than an hour. The first store hadn't been the last. The kunoichi had had to visit three additional shops before she purchased what she considered to consist of the essentials. Granted, it all probably fit in a single knapsack, so she had done a decent job compared to horror stories Kakashi had heard about females and shopping, but it had still been a depressing way to spend his afternoon. The final stop had been to find food. She insisted they had had enough of that same take-out from the convenience store and declared that she would cook tonight, as thanks for everything he had done so far. He didn't like the idea, but it _was _considerably cheaper.

They were on their way back home, going past the park near the apartment. The kunoichi carried the majority of the merchandise. All Kakashi had to burden him was a small bag of groceries, and that was only because she hadn't had enough hands.

"It wouldn't kill you to take another bag," she complained.

"I carry out the mission, you carry the stuff," he responded.

"It's hard to walk like this," Sakura grumbled. It wasn't particularly heavy, but it was bulky and it made walking difficult and uncomfortable. "Sensei!" she groaned.

He sighed, but made no move to help.

They arrived at the apartment and set everything down at the kitchen table. Kakashi pulled up a chair and rest his head on the table, determined to uselessly sit around while she put everything away. He only lifted his head when he heard her set a board and knife in front of him.

"If you help me chop the vegetables we can eat faster," she said, leaving the materials in front of him and turning to begin her own work.

He stared at the materials boredly for an extended period of time. He made no sign of noticing Sakura snatch the materials back away with a huff when she realized he had no intention of helping, and his head went back to its resting place a few minutes afterward.

Sakura took a deep breath and sighed, not particularly surprised at his refusal to cooperate. In all likelihood the Kakashi from her own time would not have helped without extensive amounts of prodding, but at least he would have put up an interesting fight with some banter. The man before her was irritatingly unresponsive, which she understood to be his way of putting up walls and keeping his distance.

A need to receive some sort of recognition from him was what kept her from yelling and screaming and telling him to stop being such a prick. She needed to prove to him that she was not a burden, that even if she couldn't participate fully in the efforts to get her back, she could still pull her own weight. Maybe then he would acknowledge her as the teammate she would become, and maybe that would rid them of the oppressed atmosphere he seemed to impose between them.

Sakura set a plate of simple rice and vegetables and some eggplant miso soup before him, and watched approvingly as Kakashi began to pull the food towards himself without any sort of protest. She sat in front of him with her own food, ready for her first proper meal in days. She looked up when she realized the older jonin hadn't begun to eat, and was instead giving his bowl a curious look.

"Something wrong?" she asked.

Kakashi looked up and blinked at her.

Was it the mask? He usually had no problem turning himself away if he wanted to eat without it, though Sakura knew he was already a master of somehow mysteriously eating through it.

But Kakashi gave his head a small shake and turned around him and his masked face around as he began to eat - soup first.

Their quiet meal was interrupted by a knock on the door. Whoever it was, Sakura decided they'd better leave soon. She had not gone through all the trouble of making this misanthrope food all for nothing.

Kakashi opened the door to find an ANBU waiting. The ANBU bowed slightly before handing the jonin a scroll.

"Another mission," the official stated. Sakura couldn't decide whether Kakashi was pleased or disappointed. Maybe he just didn't care. She could feel the ANBU's eyes peering at her curiously over Kakashi's shoulder.

"It's an escort mission," Kakashi said, a hint of disappointment in his voice. "C rank?" he looked up at the ANBU questioningly.

The ANBU shook his head. He had nothing to do with the Hokage's mission-distributing habits.

Kakashi rubbed his hand through his hair. There was nothing inherently wrong with a C rank mission, but it had been a while since he received one. Did the Hokage think he couldn't handle both Haruno and a second mission at the same time?

Whatever was going on through the old man's head, this would at least get him out of the house for a while.

"Departure is scheduled for tonight. You are to escort Eiji Tanosuke to Otafuku Gai. You will be accompanied by Hagane Kotetsu and Kamizuki Izumo."

A trip to Otafuku Gai wasn't a particularly dangerous one, and could likely be handled by a team of genin. But Kakashi understood by now that the self-importance that often came with obtaining excessive wealth regularly led to purchases of over-ranked missions and meaningless dispatchings of overqualified teams.

Behind him, Sakura recognized Yamato's voice behind the mask. She hadn't realized he had been in ANBU, though she couldn't claim to be particularly surprised. But now that she recognized him she felt a small amount of panic well up inside her, knowing he had more than likely spotted her by now. Resisting the urge to spring to her feet and hide, Sakura lowered her head as inconspicuously as possible.

"I guess I have no choice," said Kakashi. "I'll prepare for tonight and meet them at the village gates."

Taking his words as a dismissal, he prepared to bow himself away.

"Wait," Kakashi interrupted. "You wouldn't want to join us for dinner, would you, Tenzo?" His eyes crinkled into a smile. "I made plenty."

Sakura made a choking sound in the background, making the ANBU glance back. He visibly shifted uncomfortably, and deliberately avoided the question.

"I wish you well on your mission," he said, before disappearing in smoke.

Kakashi gave a small sigh of disappointment before closing the door behind him. Sakura gave him a glare, half for her own sake and half for poor Yamato-taicho.

"Aren't you supposed to keep ANBU identities a secret?" she admonished.

He responded by picking up his plate of food and turning his back to her.

"That was Yamato-taicho, wasn't it?"

"Who?"

"That ANBU," Sakura explained, waving an unseen hand in the door's direction. "He was assigned as Team Seven's temporary leader after you overexerted yourself with the Mangekyou."

So he would be going by Yamato, then. The changes in codenames were too much for Kakashi to keep up with. He would keep calling him Tenzo and there was nothing anyone could do about it.

"Do you think it's bad that he saw me?" she asked, worry in her voice.

Kakashi took his time finishing off a bite of food before responding. "Probably not, so long as you don't interact with him much."

"Then what will happen by sticking around you for so long?"

"Something dreadful," he responded gravely. "You should leave immediately before it gets worse."

Sakura cracked a smile despite herself. This was a friendly side of Kakashi, in its own twisted way.

He stood up and stretched, back still to her. Sakura glanced down at his plate to see it wiped clean. It was ridiculous how fast he ate.

"Not too bad," he said offhandedly, making his way to his room. "But you could have used more eggplant."

She smiled again.


End file.
